Key to the Gates
by acoustictitanic
Summary: Care to meet the younger sister Ben never talks about? Starts out with some flashbacks and then takes place after second movie - RileyOC,BenAbigail, PatrickEmily.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here we go. I'm posting a story that I'm still working on, so I don't know how fast these updates are going to show up. I hope you enjoy it! No flames, please.

Oh, basically, Emily and Patrick had a love-child before their divorce was finalized. Yep. Don't like it, don't read it.

Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and any other characters you don't recognize.

A woman in her late 30s sat at the desk before her, scribbling some notes down on the paper of a notebook. The wind knocked the branches of the trees against the window. It was about midday, and the woman paused for a moment to take a small bite of the sandwich on the plate beside the notebook. Almost as soon as she swallowed, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She winced and sucked in a breath of air, dropping the sandwich onto the floor. Her hands flew to her pregnant stomach, which she rubbed to try to subside the pain. But at the second sharp pulse of pain, she knew this would not go away. Her eyes widened and she called out to her son.

"Ben! Ben!" A boy about eleven years old suddenly appeared in the doorway, out of breath.

His mother took another sharp intake of breath and looked up at her son. "Benjamin, call your father. He needs to take me to the hospital."

* * *

After many long hours of labor, the woman welcomed her newborn child into the world, a girl she named Rachel Martina. The girl would keep her father's last name because the divorce papers had not been finalized just yet. (A/N: give me a break, I don't know a whole lot about divorce)

At this moment, the woman was half-asleep in the hospital bed, spent from the long hours of labor. Her daughter had been cleaned up in the nursery and was now lying in a small hospital crib beside her bed.

She heard a light knock at the door and a tentative voice say her name. "Em?" She turned her head and saw her husband slowly shuffling into the room.

"Patrick," she whispered, greeting her soon to be ex-husband. Despite the mixed feelings towards him, she smiled and sat up a bit more in the bed.

Patrick stopped at the sight of his daughter, her tiny form wriggling around in the pink onesey the hospital had dressed her in. He put one hand on the edge of the crib and smiled at Emily. "She's beautiful," he said quietly. Emily gave a small smile in return and gestured to the baby. Patrick reached out both of his hands and gently lifted his daughter into his arms. Her eyes slowly opened in wonder of whose arms she was now in. Emily's eyes welled with tears at the sight before her. She knew that this beautiful moment would be short-lived and there would not be many more in Rachel's life. Emily would have the most custody of Ben and knew she would have the same over Rachel.

As if reading her mind, Patrick spoke. "I know I'm…not going to be around that much, and I…I understand, Em." He placed a small wrapped package on the table next to her bed between she and Rachel.

As Emily was about to say something, Ben suddenly came into the room, escorted by a nurse. "Mom!" he said excitedly, running to the other side of the bed and embracing her. Emily laughed a little and gently hugged her son. "Hi, big brother Ben," she said.

Ben let go of his mother and looked up at his father who was still holding his new baby sister. He looked back at his mother and asked quietly, "Can…can I hold her?" The edges of Patrick's mouth twitched in a small smile and he handed Rachel to his son.

"Watch her head, son. Support it on your arm-" Patrick said, but was interrupted by Emily.

"Oh, Patrick, Ben knows how to hold a baby. He's not stupid," she said, waving her hand at Patrick as she watched Ben with Rachel. Patrick would've retorted, but Ben sent him a quick glare before turning his attention to his new sister.

"Hi, Rachel," he said quietly. She squirmed a little in his arms and then cooed in response. Ben grinned and looked up his mother, who was also smiling. Then he looked back down at Rachel, gently rocking her as he stepped toward the window on the other side of the room. He spoke quietly so neither of his parents would hear him. "I'm Ben -- I'm your big brother. Mom says it's my job to look after you and make sure nothing bad happens to you since I'm gonna be the 'man of the house'. I promise, cross my heart, that nothing bad will ever happen to you – not with me around. I'll keep you safe."

* * *

A/N: Awwww!! how cute is Ben? Okay, so I fumbled around with the ages a little bit. Ben's eleven, but it's not taking place in 1974 like it says at the beginning of the first movie. it'll all work out, I promise.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well I hope some people have taken an interest in this story. I would know if I had some REVIEWS! I know the first chapter was incredibly short, but please please please review? Next chapter's just a bit longer than the last one…it starts out a couple years later than the first chapter. Mostly Ben-his sister-his mom fluffy goodness. It will get more dramatic from here, promise!

But you've got to let me know if you're enjoying it! No flames, please. This is one of my first stories :-)

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Rachel and anyone else you don't recognize.

* * *

Emily was on the phone with a friend the afternoon Ben came home from his first day of middle school.

"No, no, Amy. I can't meet you for coffee this afternoon. I have to drive Ben to the library and then come home and give Rachel her bath," she explained.

Ben quietly opened the door and dropped his ripped bag to the floor. His head was still ringing and his hands pulsed with pain. Looking down at his right hand, he studied the cuts along his knuckles that prevented him from balling his hands into fists. He bit his lip to keep himself from crying out or letting the tears fall from his eyes. He could hear his mother on the phone in the kitchen, but knew he couldn't go in there as he was. Tiptoeing into the living room, he found his sister sitting on the floor coloring in her new coloring book. Rachel looked up at him with two crayons in each hand, smiling brightly with all of her new teeth.

"Hey squirt," Ben said shakily, sitting down next to his sister. Rachel stopped smiling and looked at her brother seriously. Dropping the crayons that were in one of his hands, she reached up and touched Ben's cheek where the dark purple bruise was already beginning to show.

"What's that?" she asked quietly.

Ben didn't have the chance to answer, as he heard his mother call out his name. "Ben, is that you? How was your first day of school?"

Staring back into his sister's green eyes, one silent tear fell down his cheek. He wiped it away with his hand but was unable to stop the rest from following. Rachel watched her brother in disbelief and crawled over to him.

At that moment, Emily rounded the corner into the living room, but stopped short at the scene in front of her. Rachel climbed into her brother's lap and wrapped both of her arms around Ben's much larger frame. Ben felt his shoulders start to shake, and he embraced his sister as he cried.

Emily put her hand up to her mouth and gasped. "Oh, Ben…Ben," she kept repeating. She knelt down in front of her two children and studied Ben's multiple small cuts on his cheeks and lips. As she brushed her hand over the bruise on his cheek, she asked, "Ben, what happened?"

Ben let go of his sister and wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve. "Just a stupid fight. They took grandpa's book and they were ripping up one of the letters inside. I couldn't let them destroy it all." Emily embraced her son tightly and felt Rachel's small hand on her own that was touching his back.

"Ben gonna be okay?" she asked quietly. Emily saw the tears in her eyes and gave her a watery smile. Ben turned from his mom and looked at his sister.

"Yeah, Rachel. I'm gonna be fine as long as I have you around."

* * *

**A couple years later…**

It was a morning of firsts for both of the Gates children. Ben was in his bedroom putting his books together as he readied himself for his first day of high school. He knew his class schedule already and had mapped out where his classrooms were. But of course he wasn't really dreading the day – his mother, on the other hand, had been an emotional wreck all morning. Not only was her "baby Benjamin" starting high school, but also her daughter, Rachel, was starting Kindergarten.

Ben headed down the stairs from his room as he heard his mom yell up to him again. He went into the kitchen, where his little sister was sitting at the table eating Froot Loops. Her locks of wavy brown hair were clipped back and she was wearing a pretty yellow dress.

"BEN!" she cried excitedly, accidentally throwing her spoon in the air. As it clanged on the floor she jumped up from her seat and ran over to her brother, hugging him around the hips since she was so much shorter than him.

"Hey, squirt. How are you?" Ben said, laughing a little while he hugged her with the arm not holding his backpack.

Rachel looked up at him with a huge smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She hopped up and down as she replied, "Good! I can't wait for school!"

At this response, Ben heard his mother gasp as she poured herself coffee for the morning in her travel mug. Ben smiled and put his backpack down. "Aw, Mom, come on. Rachel's not moving out, she's just starting Kindergarten. It's not even a whole day!"

He sat down across from his sister at the table, watching her inspect the spoon that had fallen on the floor. She looked up at him inquisitively, and he gave the go-ahead to use the spoon again. She smiled slyly and began to eat her cereal again.

"I know, I know. I just…oh, Ben. Your sister's starting school, and look at you! You're going to be a freshman in high school!" Emily said, putting a bowl and spoon and the milk in front of Ben. "And I won't see her until later this evening after her dance class."

Ben poured himself a bowl of cereal and happily munched away with his sister. He looked up at Rachel and asked, "Do you know your teacher's name?"

She nodded. "Yep! Miss Collins," she replied. "Mommy thinks she's really nice. I haven't met her yet, but I hope she is."

"Just don't get into too much trouble, squirt. And if any of the older kids pick on you, what did I tell you to do?" Ben asked, squinting his eyes at her jokingly.

"Tell 'em they suck eggs and that my big brother Ben's gonna find them and beat them up," she recited, much to the displeasure of their mother.

"Benjamin! Don't teach your sister such foul language," Emily chided, although a part of her cringed at the thought of the number of bullies Ben had put up with at school because of his love of books. Hopefully this year would be easier on him as he was now fifteen years old.

"But Mom, she's young and impressionable. Better she gets it from me and not the kids on the bus," Ben said cheekily. Rachel giggled and hopped down from her seat as Emily held her jacket open for her.

As she put her small backpack over her daughter's shoulders, she said, "I suppose it's better to tell the other kids that than to tell them an Aztec priest is going to sacrifice them over an altar."

* * *

A/N: Alright, there's chapter two. Cute ending? I don't know if I'm making Emily too OOC.

I was originally going to post this as two separate chapters, but I'll bet you're glad I didn't. Let me know what you think, but be kind!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you so much to my fabulous reviewers! You've given me some much-needed encouragement to continue this story. At least I know that a few people are enjoying it!

This chapter's even longer than the last two (woohoo!) and it revolves around Christmas. Ben's out of college and Rachel's a spunky thirteen-year-old. ("spunky"…really? I never use that word…ah well) On with the story!!

Disclaimer: Only own Rachel and any other characters you don't recognize.

* * *

Rachel slicked on a fresh coat of lip-gloss and gave her best smile in the mirror, frowning slightly at the sight of her new braces. Emily appeared in the mirror, standing in the doorway behind her.

"Rachel, we have to get going. You don't want to be late for your father," she said. Rachel looked at herself once more in the mirror and flipped her hair over her shoulders.

"One sec, Mom," she replied, putting her lip-gloss in her pocket and putting her parka over her new outfit for this Christmas dinner – a simple black skirt and a red and white sweater. Rachel spent every Christmas Eve with her dad and Ben and would go home afterwards to spend Christmas Day with her mother.

She gathered her make-up and other clothes from her dance recital, the last one she would have at this studio until the new year. After this school year ends, she would switch to the higher level studio for high school-age students. Rachel scanned the floor to make sure she didn't forget anything as Emily listed off some items. "Both pairs of shoes? Leotards? Tights? Ribbons?" she said.

"Yes, Mom," Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady," Emily said. "Just because you're a teenager now doesn't mean you get to cop an attitude with me."

Rachel sighed. "I didn't mean to, I just…I don't know, I don't really want to go to this dinner."

"What, why? You love seeing Ben and your father."

"I know, but Ben has that new girlfriend and I don't want him to bring her. It'd just be kinda weird."

"Oh I don't think she'll come. They've only been seeing each other for a couple of months. And she lives in Vermont, so she might just be spending the holidays with her family up north."

When they got outside to the car, Rachel put her bag in the back seat and climbed into the passenger side beside her mother.

"And if your father knows how important this night is to you and Ben, then he should do everything he can to make sure you both enjoy yourselves. But you know, he's not always as considerate as he should be." Emily was speaking faster as she found herself getting upset. But she would be livid if her daughter came home upset from Patrick's house.

"Mom," Rachel said warningly.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Emily said. "Don't listen to me."

Rachel shifted in her seat and looked out the frosted window beside her, watching as the cars passed them on the way to other holiday festivities. She hoped that Ben wouldn't bring his girlfriend. As selfish as it might be, Rachel didn't want to have to share her time with Ben. Ever since he went to college, she hadn't seen as much of her brother as she wished. He would call from time to time but Rachel missed spending time with him. The only times she saw him were for special occasions like her birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. His visits were almost as sporadic as the ones she had with her father.

After a long commute, they pulled up in front of Patrick's large white house in Philadelphia. Every time she visited, Rachel felt like the house got bigger and bigger. She kissed Emily goodbye and got out of the car, walking to the front door. Upon ringing the doorbell, she heard several voices inside. When the door opened, Rachel found herself face-to-face with her dad.

"Hi Dad!" Rachel said, smiling happily.

Patrick embraced her and said, "Merry Christmas, Rachel! Good to see you!" He led her inside into the living room where there was a small Christmas tree sitting on the table by the window. Its lights twinkled and reflected on all the colorful balls and ornaments adorning its branches. Rachel threw her jacket onto the couch and looked at the pictures on the mantel above the fireplace. There were only a few, but they were all of Ben and her. She smiled to herself when she heard her dad turn on his favorite cassette tape of Christmas songs.

"Mom says hi," Rachel said. She always told her father this, even if it wasn't true.

Patrick nodded and smiled a little and then took a deep breath, putting on a real smile for his daughter. "So…how chocolate or hot cider?" he asked.

"Hot chocolate, please," she replied. Just as Patrick went to walk into the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Rachel's eyes lit up when her father opened the door and she saw her brother. She ran out of the living room and into the hallway, but stopped when she noticed that Ben was not alone.

"Hey, Dad, Merry Christmas," Ben said happily.

"Hi son," Patrick said, but he eyed the young woman who was with him.

"This is my girlfriend Christine," Ben said, wrapping his arm around her waist. Christine had dark curly hair cut in a bob above her shoulders and dark brown eyes. She smiled happily as she shook hands with Patrick. Rachel wiggled her toes in her shoes, looking up at her brother.

"Hi Ben," she said quietly. Ben turned to her and laughed.

"Rachel!" he exclaimed, holding his arms open to her. Rachel gave him a small smile and leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"How've you been, metal mouth?" Ben teased. Rachel smiled and quietly replied "Okay."

"Rach, this is Christine," he continued, gesturing to his current girlfriend. Christine leaned over and said sweetly, "Hello, sweety. It's so nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Rachel said, glancing at her low-cut dress. "All of you."

Christine realized that her dress was falling down, and she pulled it up quickly, laughing awkwardly. Patrick invited the both of them into the living room and asked them if they wanted some of his traditional eggnog. Christine refused, saying she was on a no-sugar diet. Rachel rolled her eyes and sat down in the arm chair next to the fire, watching as Ben wooed his girlfriend with his witty jokes about his father's house. He gave her a kiss on the cheek by the tree and Rachel watched her laugh at every little word Ben said. This was not how she envisioned her Christmas Eve.

"So, Rachel," Christine said, sitting down on the couch beside Ben. "Your brother told me that you dance?"

"Yeah," Rachel replied, nodding. "I have for about ten years."

"Wow, that's _fantastic_. You know, I used to do ballet when I was little," said Christine. "But I bet you do other kinds of dance, based on your figure."

Rachel opened her mouth to retort, but Ben spoke first, "Uh, hun, I don't know if that's, um… appropriate." At that moment, Patrick came back from the kitchen with two cups of eggnog and one of hot chocolate for Rachel. Rachel picked up her hot chocolate, but as she stared at the whipped cream on top, she thought of what Christine had just said and put it back down on the coffee table. Patrick asked all kinds of questions about Christine, but Rachel zoned out of the conversation. Her only thoughts were about what her mom was doing, and how she wished she could go home and be as far away from Christine and Ben as possible.

"Rachel," Patrick said. She looked up at him and realized that she had had no idea how much time had passed until her said, "Dinner's ready."

As they all headed into the dining room, Ben held her back and asked her if she was okay. "I'm _fine,_" she said, brushing past him.

In the middle of dinner, Rachel realized that the conversation had not once turned to her. The only questions Ben had inadvertently asked her were how her braces were and how she was after Christine criticized her weight. She quietly excused herself from the table and went down the hall towards the bathroom. Instead of going in there, she went outside through the back door. Her father had set up a tire swing from a large tree in the backyard when Ben was seven years old. All these years later, it was still there, and Rachel almost always ended up out there at some point when she visited her dad. Trudging through the snow, she glanced back at the house and admired all the lights from the little electric candles in the windows. She put her legs through the tire and pushed off from the ground, swinging back and forth until her back was facing the house.

"Rachel!" she heard Ben yell, but it sounded like he was in the front yard. She heard his footsteps growing closer as he ran around the side of the house to the backyard. He slowed until he stood no more than four feet from her. "Rachel, don't do that to me. I thought you were upstairs or in dad's study."

"You should know me well enough by now to know that I always end up out here when we visit Dad," Rachel said angrily. Ben sighed and walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She shoved him away and looked down at her feet.

"Come on, Rachel. I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" she asked, curious to hear his answer to this one.

"I know…this probably wasn't the way you wanted to spend Christmas Eve" (at this, Rachel rolled her eyes a little) "but you have to understand. Christine is very important to me, and—"

Rachel cut him off. "More important than me?"

Ben frowned and looked at her confusedly. "No…never, Rach," he said. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, you barely talk to me anymore. We never hang out like we used to. Even when you were at college…at least for the first couple years you still came home and visited, and we would go to the movies, or go out for ice cream or…something. Now I feel like you just don't have time for me," she explained quietly.

Ben crouched down so that he was eye-level with his sister. "You are growing up so fast, Rachel, you know that? I'm glad you and I can talk about things like this now. And I never want you to feel like you don't matter to me. You are so important to me – more than you know." He reached out and squeezed Rachel's shoulders. "What do you say we go inside now?" he asked, nodding towards the house.

Rachel smiled and said, "Sounds good."

When they got into the house, they wiped off their feet by the backdoor and brushed the snow off their clothes. Suddenly, Christine rounded the corner, followed by Patrick.

"Baby, why are you all wet and cold? Were you outside this whole time?" she asked, hugging Ben tightly around his shoulders.

"No, we time-traveled and our machine sprung a leak," Rachel whispered sarcastically. Ben nudged her and she smirked a little to herself.

"Rachel?" her dad said quietly.

She looked up at him and said, "I'm fine Dad, don't worry." Looking up slyly at Ben, she saw the small clump of snow in his hand.

"Are you all warm now, Benny?" Christine asked sweetly.

Before Rachel could make another smart remark, Ben replied, "Yes…but I don't know how warm you'll be after I do this." And in the blink of an eye, Ben squashed the little clump of snow in her hair. Christine let out a shriek and her hands flew up to her once perfect hair. Both Patrick and Rachel looked at Ben with wide eyes and bit back their laughter.

"What was _that_ for?" she asked angrily.

Ben shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Just a little holiday spirit from the Gates family. Now, why don't you leave before you insult another one of my family members again?"

"You drove me here, you idiot," she retorted hotly.

"Then I'll be happy to buy you a train ticket and send you home," he said. Christine looked up at him and said, "You're serious? On _Christmas Eve_?"

"Yep. I just have to get our coats from the living room." Rachel couldn't believe her brother was doing this. She watched Christine follow Ben to the living room and couldn't help but follow them, too. "You can't do this to me, Ben," she heard Christine say.

"Actually, I think I can. You can insult me all you want, but you have no right to come into my father's house and insult both him and my sister," he said.

"You know what? I'll call myself a cab. We're through," Christine said furiously, taking her new cell phone out of her purse. She threw on her jacket and stomped out of the house. After the door slammed shut, Rachel walked into the room with her mouth hanging open in disbelief. This may have turned out to be a good Christmas Eve after all.

* * *

A/N: That's all for chapter three! Hope you all like where this is going. I tried to give a little more Patrick/Emily. It's difficult since they don't speak to each other. I couldn't figure out another way to get rid of Christine. What a bitch! Who tells a thirteen year old girl that she's _fat_?!

** COMING UP: BIG BIG DRAMA!!!!!!! stay tuned! (i'm so excited for that chapter, I might upload it very soon!)**

_**Review please!! :-)**_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: HERE IT IS!!! Just as I promised, this chapter has "big big drama"!!! It's also the longest chapter I've posted. I hope you enjoy it! It's one of what I am sure will be many turning-points for this story.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! ...**please?

Disclaimer: Only own Rachel and other characters you don't recognize.

* * *

Rachel stood in front of a streaky mirror in the backstage area of the auditorium, adjusting the blue graduation hat atop her head. She had spent hours trying to curl her hair for it now to get squashed underneath the square cap. Her peers were chatting away all around her –talking and goofing around while preparing themselves for the ceremony.

All of a sudden, Rachel felt two arms snake around her waist and looked into the mirror at the reflection of her boyfriend, Alan. She smiled and turned around to face him.

"Hey, you," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hey yourself," Alan replied, smiling back. His spiky blonde hair was hidden beneath the cap, and Rachel knew how long he had probably spent on it this morning. The amount of gel he used was sure to keep it in place.

"Your parents here yet?" Alan asked her. Rachel sighed and looked down.

"I'm sure my mom's here, and I talked to my dad a couple night ago and he told me he was going to try his hardest to get here. He only lives a few minutes away, I don't know why he would miss this," she replied.

"I'm sure he'll be here, babe," he said, kissing her forehead and hugging her closer. Rachel pulled back and put her hands on her hips.

"I just hope my brother gets here," she said. "He's been up in Massachusetts working on his PhD and I just hope he makes it. Ben doesn't make promises he doesn't keep."

"Ah yes…Ben," Alan said, scratching the back of his neck and sighing. Rachel smacked him lightly in the chest.

"Just because you have some kind of vendetta against him –" she began.

"I don't, I don't! I just don't think he likes me all that much," Alan retorted.

"Okay, so the first time you met him he was a little on edge, I'm sorry. He'd just broken up with his longtime girlfriend."

"And what was with him drilling me with all those history questions?!" Alan said.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders a little and replied, "He's just passionate. History's kinda his thing. Everyone's got a hobby."

"No, your brother's a freak. Football and dance are hobbies, but that's just weird shit for you brain to store," Alan said, earning him another smack in the chest by Rachel.

"My brother's no freak, Alan. He just knows what he knows. In fact, I admire him, learning as much information as he can about American history to help him figure out-"

"What, figure out your family's psycho-theory about that ancient treasure?" Alan scoffed.

Rachel's temper was running out. "Shut up, Alan. Don't talk about my family like that," she said angrily.

"It's not like you believe in it, Rach. Neither does your mother. Admit it already, your brother's just a weirdo looking for something that doesn't exist-" This time Rachel slapped him across the cheek and walked away, angry tears burning in her eyes. She had had enough of that talk about her brother or her family name.

Rachel did not seek out Alan after the graduation ceremony – she was still too angry with him. She had seen her mother in the audience when she got her diploma, and she was now weaving through the crowd to find her. She finally spotted her curly blonde hair a few people away and yelled out to her. Emily turned and gave her daughter a huge smile. "Rachel!" she called, almost running to her daughter with open arms. Mother and daughter embraced as Emily said proudly, "Oh, congratulations, sweetheart!" When Rachel let go, she asked her mom if she had seen her father. Emily frowned and shook her head.

"You know your father – probably a busy day at the office or something," she said nonchalantly.

"He told me he'd be here," Rachel murmured, standing on her toes and trying to look through the crowd for him. With no luck, she turned back to her mother, who had turned around to speak to Alan.

"Honey, let's get a picture of you and Alan together!" Emily said. Rachel forcibly smiled at Alan and stood next to him. Emily pulled out her new flash camera and snapped a quick picture of her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend. Her mother turned away from them and chatted with another parent beside her. Alan turned to Rachel and said, "So you wanna hang out tonight?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You're not out of the doghouse yet, Alan. I still haven't forgiven you. And I have dress rehearsal before my recital starting early tomorrow morning."

"Aw, come on, Rach. How early is early?" he asked.

"I have to wake up at eight and be at the auditorium for nine-thirty," she replied. "I can't stay out all night with you."

"It won't be all night, promise. Let's just drive out to the water or something, you and me," Alan said, grabbing her hand.

Before she could reply, Rachel felt someone tap on her shoulder and she turned around to look up into her big brother's face. Her face lit up and she smiled happily.

"BEN! You made it!" she cried, hugging him tightly. He laughed as he picked her up and spun her around. When he put her back down he said, "Of course, squirt. I wouldn't miss this."

"Where did you sit? I didn't see you in the crowd when I got my diploma," Rachel asked, shaking her head.

Ben smiled apologetically and replied, "I, uh, I didn't get here until about fifteen minutes ago. All I got to see was you guys throw your caps in the air and process off the stage."

"Really? Ugh, Ben," she whined, frowning at him.

"Hey, I made it, right?" he suggested.

Rachel nodded and pursed her lips together. "Well that's more than I can say for _some_ people," she said seriously. Ben sighed loudly and nodded, agreeing with her.

"I haven't talked to him in a while," he said, more to himself than to Rachel. Rachel felt someone tug on the sleeve of her graduation gown and she turned her head to see Alan still hadn't left.

"Oh yeah – Alan, Ben – I'm pretty sure you two remember each other," she said, gesturing to each of them as she reintroduced the two. Ben's eyes narrowed slightly before he forced a smile to his lips. He held his hand out to Alan, who took it cautiously. He winced slightly when he noticed Ben's grip was a little harder than necessary.

"Good to see you again, Alan," Ben said, nodding.

Alan nodded in return. "Likewise," he said. They let go of each other's hands quickly.

"So, babe, when do you want me to pick you up?" Alan asked. Rachel was slightly annoyed he was still on about this even though she had said no. But she sighed and replied, "Um, maybe ten-thirty?"

Alan smiled happily and said, "Okay, I'll honk outside again."

"But remember – not all night, okay? I'm sure I'll still have my usual midnight curfew," Rachel said warningly.

Ben cleared his throat and Rachel looked up at him. "You two are going out tonight?" he asked, but his gaze was more at Alan than his sister.

"Yes, Ben, just for a little while," Rachel said warningly again. Ben nodded and rubbed his chin in thought. Before he could speak, Emily returned with the camera again.

"Oh, Benjamin, I'm so glad you could make it!" she said, hugging her son. "We haven't seen you since Christmas!" She let go and nudged him towards Rachel. "Let's get a picture of you two!" Ben smiled brightly and hugged Rachel tightly across her shoulders. Rachel held up her diploma with an equally bright smile. After the flash went off, Rachel turned around to Alan and said she'd see him later tonight.

"Okay, babe. Ten-thirty," he said, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"Alan, your mother said your family would be in the lobby waiting for you," Emily said.

"Thanks, Ms. Appleton," he said, walking away from the small family.

"Well," Emily said, sighing happily, "are we going to go out to celebrate or just head home?"

"Sounds like Rachel's going out with Alan later-" Ben started.

"But I know I have rehearsal and my recital tomorrow. I'll be home by midnight, I swear," Rachel said quickly, interrupting her brother.

"I think that should be fine, honey. What time are you going out?" Emily asked.

"Ten-thirty," Ben and Rachel replied in unison. Rachel frowned a little up at her brother and continued, "But it's only eight-thirty now, right? Why don't we just go home and hang out for a while?"

After getting back to the house, the three of them sat around the living room talking about the past year and Rachel's exciting upcoming one at American University. She had decided to stay in Washington, D.C. for school, but would live in the dorm even though her home was so close to the school. While Rachel had gotten into the dance conservatory in Baltimore, she and her mother agreed that she should get a well-rounded education and not just one in dance. Rachel was unsure whether or not she wanted dance to be her future career, but would work hard still taking classes when she could. Tomorrow would be Rachel's last recital with her current dance studio, which she was telling Ben all about.

"Ben, you haven't been to one of my shows in forever! I'm the lead principle in the showcase pieces! You can't miss it!" she said.

"I was at that Christmas one when you were a candy cane," Ben replied hotly.

Rachel cocked her head and said matter-of-factly, "I was ten. My point exactly."

Emily laughed and turned to her son, "Ben, you must come. Your sister's worked so hard this year. It would be really great if you could see her before you head back up north."

Ben smiled and nodded. "I would certainly hope you're better than you were seven or eight years ago."

"Hey, I was a cute candy cane," Rachel retorted, slightly laughing.

"I didn't say you weren't," Ben said, holding up his hands in defense and laughing.

Suddenly there was the honk of a car horn outside of the house.

"That's Alan!" Rachel said, hopping off the couch and running upstairs to her room. Emily laughed and shook her head. Ben stared out the window, frowning.

"Oh Ben, get that look off your face," Emily said, picking up her mug of tea.

"What look?" he said innocently.

"That big brother, 'I-don't-like-that-punk-who's-with-my-sister' look," Emily said, looking at her son over the edge of the mug before taking a long sip.

"How long have they been seeing each other?" Ben asked quickly.

"Almost a year now," Emily replied coolly.

"And…and you approve of him?" Ben asked.

Emily laughed. "Benjamin, your sister's going off to college in the fall. She can decide for her own who's good enough for her. And he happens to be a very nice boy."

"That's only because he wants to get into your daughter's pants," he murmured.

Emily threw her head back and scoffed at what he just said. "Oh, Ben. Rachel's got a good head on her shoulders, don't-"

"Worry? Okay, Mom, I'll just sit here and wait for her to get back from her night out with her _boyfriend_. The _romantic _kind. Where there's kissing, and-and touching," Ben said, squirming and making a face as he said the last part.

Before his mother could reply, Rachel ran down the stairs and threw her jacket over her dress. "Bye Mom! I'll be home by midnight after my romantic night of kissing and touching!" After she shut the door behind her, Emily burst out laughing and Ben looked at her with wide eyes.

Rachel pulled away from Alan to catch her breath. Running her hand through her hair, she sat up and looked up at the night sky. Alan's slick yellow convertible had always caught the attention of all of the girls from their high school, but for some reason Alan had picked her out of them all. She should have felt like the luckiest girl in the world, but lately she had just felt weighed down by Alan and his attitude. The two would be going their separate ways in the fall, what with Rachel staying in DC and Alan going out to USC on a football scholarship.

Suddenly, Rachel felt Alan's lips against her shoulder as he pulled the thin strap of her dress down over her shoulder.

"No, Alan, not here," she murmured, pulling the strap back to its place. She heard him sigh angrily and he sat up and looked at her.

"Babe," he whined. "Come on…" He lightly tugged on both of the straps this time and kissed her neck. Rachel sighed and closed her eyes, breathing in the salt air of the nearby shoreline. Alan's fingers let go of the straps of her dress, and one hand shifted her dress up one of her thighs. Rachel leaned back into him and felt her body melt to his touch. While her body reacted to his actions, the sudden cool rush of air caused her to snap her eyes open. She covered her chest with her arms and pushed Alan away from her.

"Aw, what now?" he demanded, sitting up.

"Not here, Alan! We can't—"

"Stop being such a damn tease, Rachel," he said angrily, leaning into her again. Rachel pushed him away and repeated herself, "Not here!" She sat up and put her dress back in order.

But Alan wouldn't take no for an answer. He grabbed her by the neck and pushed her head back into the seat cushion. "I thought you loved me."

Rachel looked up at him with wide eyes. "You-you know I do," she stammered. Alan had never been this rough with her and she was getting scared.

"Then show me," he growled, forcing her to kiss him. Rachel pushed him off of her and kept pleading to make him stop. She squeezed her eyes shut when she saw Alan lift his hand to slap her, but the blow never came. Another rush of air told her body that Alan was no longer on top of her, and she opened her eyes. Another man had punched him and sent him across the backseat of the car. Alan was cupping his jaw and glaring up at the man who stood just outside of the car above where Rachel was sitting.

"She told you to stop," the man said. Rachel recognized the voice as her brother. She whipped her head around and looked up at Ben, whose stare never left Alan's face. Rachel scrambled out of the car, standing next to her brother.

"Ben, what are you-" she started.

"Go get in the car, Rachel," he said tensely, his chest heaving with deep breaths. She backed away slowly, watching Alan as he leaned forward into the front seat.

"Don't forget your jacket, b-" Alan started, throwing the garment at her.

Cutting him off, Ben shouted, "Hey! Don't even _think_ about finishing that sentence!"

Rachel had never heard Ben yell like this. She stretched her hand out to Ben and whispered, "Ben, please…"

He turned to her and yelled, "I said _get in the car_!"

Her eyes stung with the threat of tears and she turned and ran to Ben's blue Oldsmobile. She slammed the passenger door shut behind her and clutched her jacket to her chest, watching as Ben yelled out more threats at Alan. He pointed at the convertible and then back at Alan as he stormed over to his own car.

Ben slammed his door shut with such force that Rachel felt the car shake. She watched Alan crawl into the driver's seat of his car and jumped a little when Ben turned the car on and threw it into reverse. The siblings did not speak for many long minutes until they reached the main road.

"Ben, thank you for –" Rachel started.

"Don't you _ever_, _ever_ let me catch you with him again!" Ben shouted. "You have no idea what could've happened-"

"_Yeah_, I do. I'm not a kid anymore. I would've been fine but-"

"Oh you would have?! That little punk could've hurt you, and he would've done worse than he already had if I hadn't shown up."

"And I said thank you, but…wait, how did you know where we were, anyways?" Rachel looked up at her brother inquisitively.

"He said something about going down to the water, and I followed you until--"

"You _followed_ us, Ben?!" she shouted.

"Well, it's a good thing I did!"

"God, you are so _unbelievable_! I don't break up _your_ relationships--"

"I didn't break you two up," Ben said, shaking his head.

"Oh really?! I don't think Alan's _ever_ gonna call me again, never mind look at me. But that was your plan all along, wasn't it? You hated him from the beginning."

"Of course I did! I'm gonna hate any guy you date!" Ben yelled.

"Oh, ok, great. You know, Ben – I don't even…" she trailed off.

"You don't what?" Ben asked, a little quieter.

"Whatever, it's not worth it."

"No, tell me," he insisted.

Rachel took a deep breath. "Do you know how much I've stood up for you in my life, _especially_ with Alan? The amount of teasing I've put up with, not from students, but from _teachers_? They all know me as that Gates kid's little sister. Just because you believe in that stupid treasure, you have to let it affect me?"

"Do _not_ call our family history stupid, Rachel. You can't deny the facts that--"

"What facts? All you know is stuff from the stories Grandpa Charles told you and the books you took from Dad's study. There is no _treasure_."

"Stop it, Rachel!" Ben roared, his blood boiling with anger. But Rachel didn't stop.

"You're gonna ruin your life just like Dad ruined his. Look at him – no wife, two kids he hardly speaks to, and a job that he hates. All because he wasted most of his life looking for something that does _not_ exist." Rachel felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she breathed heavily.

"At least I'm not wasting my time with a ridiculous hobby like dance!" he retorted.

"You take that back!" she shouted, the tears finally welling up in her eyes.

"Why should I? How do you know _you're_ not throwing your life away? What if you don't dance for the rest of your life? Do you have any other plans? Goals? Jobs?"

"Stop it, Ben," Rachel said, her chin quivering as she fought back her sobs.

"No, tell me. You may think I'm wasting my time looking for this treasure, but at least I've gotten a solid education along the way, studied subjects that can get me jobs. Dance is not a serious future aspiration."

"Well if it's so stupid, then don't even bother showing up to my recital tomorrow!" she shouted.

"I had already forgotten about it until you mentioned it right now!" Ben retorted. That was all Rachel needed to hear to start crying. She turned away from her brother and stared out the window as she tried to hide herself. Ben heard her murmur something, and asked her what she said.

"I said I HATE YOU!" Rachel yelled, turning back to face Ben. At that moment, Ben realized he had driven past the house. He cursed under his breath and turned around in the neighbor's driveway and then headed back for their house. He pulled the car to a stop in the driveway and felt his hands shaking as he turned the car off.

"You don't mean that, Rach," he said quietly, looking at how upset he had made his sister. She opened the door and turned back to him.

"Yes I do! I hate you! You missed my graduation, you beat up my boyfriend, and you put down my dreams of being a dancer," Rachel said through her tears. "You've never taken my dreams seriously. I never want to speak to you ever again." She slammed the door behind her and ran into the house. Throwing her jacket on the floor, she leaned against the wall and cried harder than she had in a long time. Ben's words rang in her ears and she balled her hands into fists and slammed them against the wall behind her. She meant what she said. She'd go off to school in the fall and never have to see her brother again if she didn't want to.

And that's exactly what happened. For the next eight years.

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A/N: Holy crapizzle! _Eight years?!_ Yeah, that's the only way this story could work out. I didn't want to write alongside either of the movies so I could write something a little more original, so…yeah. Haha.

So what'd ya thiiiink? Big, big drama, right? I thought so. They both went their separate ways and that was that…for the next eight years. dun dun dunnnn

But how do they meet up again?! You'll find out soon enough! :-)

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! **...please ?


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Chapter 5 is here!!!! Yay! Sorry it's taken me a few days to upload this chapter. I was busy with the start of school and stuff…yadda yadda yadda. Anyways, here's chapter 5! It's been eight years since the last chapter – so do the math – Rachel's about 25 or 26, so that makes Ben about 36 or 37. Like I said in my first chapter, I'm going to make Ben a little younger than he's probably supposed to be (i guess he's supposed to be around 40, but i wanted to make him a little younger). I don't know.

REVIEW please :-)

Disclaimer: Only own Rachel and other characters you don't recognize. Also don't own Panera, Converse shoes, Luke Skywalker, or Riley Poole. Damn.

ALSO! I don't think there's any such thing as the District of Columbia Dance Company, but if there is, I don't own them either. Or InterTech. If they exist, don't own them either.

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**Present Day **(A/N: Remember, this takes place a few months after they found Cibola)

"Hey Trace, do you want anything at the store? I have to go pick up a few things." Rachel called out to her roommate as she brushed her hair up into a ponytail. She grabbed her purse as Tracey replied, "I'm all set!"

"Ok then, I'll be back later." She pulled on her jacket and shut the door behind her, locking it with her key.

Eight long years had passed since Rachel had seen Ben. They sent each other cards and gifts for birthdays and Christmas and talked on the phone every few months, but never saw each other face to face. Rachel missed her brother from time to time, but never truly regretted anything she had said that fateful night. If she had, she wouldn't still occasionally get angry about it.

Four years ago, Rachel graduated from college with a Bachelor's degree in Art History. Her mother and her mother's sister and brother-in-law had come to celebrate with her, and even her father had shown up for a brief moment – brief enough to see his daughter and give her a resounding amount of congratulations. He and Emily had not seen each other face-to-face, but knew the other was there. Her father still lived in the same house, but Emily had moved to Baltimore and gotten a job teaching at the University of Maryland.

Rachel's best friend from college, Tracey, and she moved in together after graduation. They found an apartment in the heart of DC and had lived there for the past four years. Rachel still took numerous dance classes at a studio and worked at two small restaurants. Hoping to break out of the pattern of waiting tables every day, she was practicing day in and out for an audition to become part of the District of Columbia Dance Company (DCDC). The audition was only a few months away, and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop her from achieving her goal.

The automatic door whooshed open as Rachel walked into the store, heading for the aisle that would hopefully have better bandaids for her feet. While Rachel was not a ballet dancer, her feet acquired numerous blisters and cuts from her shoes and the floor when she went barefoot. She pushed by a couple of people before reaching the aisle. Realizing the bandaids were on the top shelf, she frowned and stood on her tiptoes to reach them, knocking down several boxes instead of just one. Cursing under her breath, she knelt down and picked up as many as she could in her arms. As she reached for the last box, she saw another person lean down and pick it up for her.

"Need some help?" the person asked. Rachel stood up and looked into the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she had ever seen, belonging to a man about four inches taller than her. He was dressed in pretty casual clothes – tshirt and jeans with a jacket. But it was his lopsided smile that caught her eye.

She found herself speechless until she shook her head and said, "Where were you a minute ago before all of them fell?"

The man laughed and replied, "Hey, we can't all have the ability to travel at the speed of light."

"No, I guess not," she said, shaking her head and laughing. As she placed the boxes in her hands back on the shelf, the man handed her the last one. "Thanks…" Rachel said, drawing it out to hopefully get him to tell her his name.

"Riley," he said quickly. Rachel smiled. Success. "You mean you don't remember me, Rachel?"

Rachel furrowed her brow and studied him carefully. Her face lit up when she realized who it was. "Riley Poole! Oh my god, it's been so long!" She hugged her old friend tightly and laughed. "How've you been?! It's been what -- five, six years?"

"I'm great, really great," he replied. Glancing over Rachel, he added, "You look great, too!"

Rachel laughed heartily and said, "Thanks, so do you." She meant it, too. The last time she had seen Riley, he had very shaggy hair coupled with his goatee and mustache that he claimed were "cool". But they probably had been at the time – the two met during their sophomore year of college in a computer science class. Rachel had only signed up for it to get out of a math and science credit, while Riley had been genuinely interested. The professor paired the two for their midterm project, and after long nights of studying in the library and hanging out after class, the two became fast friends. This new Riley Poole whom Rachel had just seen at the store was more clean-cut, but it suited him well. His hair was styled, his face was clean, and he looked like he had been working out. Rachel flushed slightly as that last thought crossed her mind.

"So what have you been up to? Are you still dancing?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, still dancing," she replied, smiling brightly. "And me and Tracey got an apartment after graduation."

"Oh wow, you guys kept that promise?" he asked, laughing. "I still remember the night you decided you were going to do that…I think it was made over one too many glasses of champagne?" He raised his eyebrows, and Rachel couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Oh god, I forgot about that," she said, looking down at the floor and laughing awkwardly. "I think that's the last time I had champagne…celebrating the end of finals…and your graduation," she added.

"Not really graduation, more just celebrating getting out of school and starting a career," Riley corrected, but smiled. "I may have only finished my sophomore year, but I needed the money. And full-time was the only way to go."

"Yeah, how did that work out? Are you still working at InterTech?" Rachel asked.

Riley laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "No, not exactly. I stopped working there a _long_ time ago…about three years ago, I think."

"Oh, so what are you doing now?" Rachel asked curiously.

"I work for the government…sort of," he replied.

"Oh, that's great! Doing what?" she pressed.

"Mostly security projects here and there," he said, putting his hand down. Rachel nodded and looked down at his shoes. Same old black Converse. _Same old Riley Poole._

"Hey, are you doing anything now?" Riley asked suddenly. "I mean, of course you're doing something right _now_ -- you're shopping. But I mean, when you're done…do you want to do something…else?" Rachel giggled at his stammering and replied that she would love to do something when she was done with her shopping. Riley still hadn't finished his own shopping, so he let her be and said he'd meet her at the checkout counter.

After they had both checked out what they wanted, Rachel and Riley left the store together. They had had a little time for small talk while in line. Rachel learned that Riley lived in Washington, DC in his own apartment not too far from her own. When they got out of the store, Rachel watched Riley walk over to a beautiful red Ferrari and hop into the driver's seat.

"This is _your_ car?" she asked incredulously. "How much does the government pay you, anyways?"

"You'd be surprised." He laughed, putting on a pair of sunglasses. Rachel opened the passenger door and sat down beside him, putting on her seatbelt and smiling happily to herself.

"Where to?" Riley asked her, turning on the car. Rachel could feel the car vibrating from the powerful engine. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"No, I haven't actually," she replied.

"Lunch it is, then." He pulled away from the curb and into the flow of traffic. Rachel was happy she had pulled her hair back as she felt the wind on her face from this breezy spring day.

"I'm actually supposed to be meeting a couple of friends at Panera, but it's across town. Is that okay?" he said, glancing at her.

"Oh, that's fine," Rachel replied. She smiled even though she had wished she and Riley would get to talk more over lunch.

"Are you still seeing that…that Jason guy?" Riley asked suddenly after a few moments of silence. Rachel whipped her head around to look at him, and seeing that he was not looking at her, she frowned and shook her head.

"No, we broke up after my junior year when he graduated," she replied slowly. She couldn't help but notice Riley's mouth twitch into a small smile.

"Well what about you, mister?" Rachel said.

"What about me?" he asked with a laugh.

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"Actually, yes. Lots of people right now," he replied casually. Rachel's eyes widened and she furrowed her brow. "Except most of them are in cars, and I don't really go for bald guys walking their dogs, either." He started laughing and Rachel hit him in the arm, finally realizing what he meant.

"Ha-ha, okay, joke's on me," she said, laughing a little. "But seriously…?"

Riley got very serious and replied, "Actually, I uh…just got out of a relationship about a week ago."

"Oh, I'm…I'm so sorry, Riley," Rachel said, feeling genuinely bad for her friend. She had never seen him date anyone while at college and always wished he would find someone.

"Nah, don't be. Girl turned out to be kind of a flake. Cute, but dumb," he explained. Rachel giggled and he glanced over at her, smiling. "Not all girls out there are like you, Rachel."

"What do you—"

"You're smart, talented, driven, you've got a killer sense of humor…you're, you know…pretty." Riley mumbled the last part of the sentence, but Rachel knew what he said.

"Thanks," she said quietly, knowing she must have been blushing. She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face until she saw they had passed the little sandwich shop. "RILEY!" she yelled. He cursed under his breath and parked on the street a few blocks down from the restaurant.

"Sorry," he muttered, laughing a little. "Guess I got side-tracked…"

They walked down the street and headed back to Panera where Riley had said he was going to be meeting a couple of his friends. Rachel figured he just meant coworkers or a couple of other guys. While in a _very_ long line waiting to order, they talked amongst themselves some more. Riley learned that Rachel was still dancing at the same studio she had gone to while in college and actually going to audition for a professional dance company soon. Before they made it to the front of the line, Riley spotted where his friends were sitting and walked over to them to let them know he was here. Rachel could only see the back of the two persons' heads – she spotted a blonde woman wearing a sweater and skirt and a man with brown hair dressed in a suit jacket and jeans.

After, they placed their orders (Riley insisted on paying and placing the order under the name 'Luke Skywalker', which Rachel couldn't help but giggle at). As Riley led her over to the table, Rachel teased him for the name and was distracted from figuring out who Riley's two friends were. While engaged in conversation, she didn't notice who was sitting at the table until she found herself less than four feet from her brother, Ben.

"Guys, this is my friend from college, Rachel. We ran into each other earlier," Riley said happily, gesturing to his good friend. He noticed Rachel was staring only at Ben and had become rather stiff. "Um, Rachel, these are my friends, Abigail and—"

She cut him off. "Benjamin Franklin Gates," she said curtly, placing her hands on her hips. His hairline had receded and he had put on a little weight since she had seen him last, but there was no doubt in her mind that this was her brother. She stared into his grey eyes, memories flooding back into her.

"Yeah, the famous treasure hunter," Riley said, bored. Thinking he had been wrong about Rachel and that now she was only interested in meeting Ben, he sat down dejectedly.

"_No_," Rachel said hotly. "My brother."

Abigail gasped and frowned at Ben. "Ben, you never told me you have a sister," she said.

"Well I don't think you ever asked," he replied, laughing awkwardly.

"That's okay Ben. I don't exactly broadcast our blood-relation either," Rachel said bitingly. She found it difficult to hide her bitter feelings that she had suppressed for so many years.

At the awkward silence that followed, Abigail spoke suddenly. "Hi, I'm Abigail, Ben's fiancé," she said.

Rachel smiled a little and replied, "Oh yeah, I think my mom's mentioned you on the phone before." She looked at Riley, who was slowly glancing back and forth between her and Ben.

"Are you joining us for lunch?" Abigail asked, gesturing to the seat across from her. Before she could reply, the barista called out "Luke Skywalker!"

Rachel laughed a little and said, "It sounds like it." She put her purse down and turned away and walked off to pick up the order, trying to ignore the tears that threatened to bubble over. She stopped at the bar and reached up for the two plates. Suddenly, she felt a hand gently touch her back and she looked over her shoulder at Riley.

"Rach, are…you okay?" he asked, worriedly studying her expression.

Rachel took a deep breath and nodded. "I, um…I think so," she replied. She picked up the plates and walked over to the station for extra napkins.

Following her closely, Riley said quietly, "You never told me you had an older brother. Or any siblings, for that matter."

Rachel bit her lower lip and replied coldly. "That's because I don't."

Riley looked stunned. "What do you mean?"

She turned around and faced him. "The last time I saw Ben…he and I didn't really get along too well. All my life he had been the older brother a girl could only dream of having, but one night we just…realized we didn't see eye-to-eye, you could say." She picked up the plates and took another deep breath, putting on a brave smile. "But I guess I have to live with that for now…I shouldn't be rude to Abigail."

Riley looked her in the eyes and said, "It'll be okay, Rachel. You've got me here." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder as a reminder.

As the two of them walked back to the table, Ben stood up quickly and went over to the other side of the table where Rachel had put her purse. "Rachel," he said shakily.

"Hi, Ben," Rachel said with a deep breath, smiling as best she could as she put the plates on the table.

"You…you look—"

"So do you," she said quickly, and sat down next to Riley, who was already enjoying his lunch. Ben sat down slowly next to Abigail, who smiled at Rachel and tried to talk to her.

"So, um…do you live in the area?" she asked awkwardly.

"Yes, just a few blocks away from Riley, as I found out today," she said, smiling at her friend. After a couple moments of silence, Rachel glanced down at Abigail's ring and said, "Congratulations, I'm sure. To both of you," she said, but did not look at Ben.

As Riley continued to eat his lunch, he watched Ben simply stare at Rachel with an almost sad look in his eyes. As Abigail and Rachel continued talking, he noticed Ben open and close his mouth a few times, trying to say something.

Finally, Abigail turned to her fiancé and said, "Ben, what is it?" Rachel looked up at her brother inquisitively.

He shook his head and drew his gaze away from his sister, muttering, "Nothing…it's nothing."

Rachel excused herself from the table and went to the bathroom, immediately calling Tracey to tell her she would be later than she thought she would, but would explain why later. While she was away from the table, Riley and Abigail started in on Ben.

"How come you never told us you had a sister?!" "I'm you best friend -- you tell me everything!" "Even your parents have never mentioned her." "Okay, maybe not everything, but—" "We're getting married in six months, Ben, how could you leave her out of this?" "Do you guys talk a lot?" "When did you last see her?"

Ben held his hands up to the two of them to get them to stop talking a mile a minute and took a deep breath. "Rachel and I…we haven't seen each other in a few years."

"A few years?" Abigail pressed.

"About eight, to be exact..."

"Eight years?!" Riley and Abigail asked in unison.

"It's…complicated," Ben said quietly. Spotting his sister on her way back to the table, he added, "This isn't the time or place to talk about this."

Rachel smiled apologetically at the table of three and sat down. "Sorry about that, I had to make a call."

Riley looked at her with concern and asked, "Is everything okay?" Abigail smirked a little at his sudden sign of affection.

"Yeah, just had to let my roommate Tracey know why I wasn't home yet," she said with a laugh. Abigail and Riley smiled, but Ben remained stone-faced.

The rest of lunch focused around how Riley and Rachel had met, with Abigail asking most of the questions.

"I just can't believe I never made the parallel between you and Ben," Riley said, glancing at his best friend.

Rachel laughed uncomfortably and said, "Well, I guess there isn't a whole lot of resemblance…more in mannerisms than looks."

"You also share a last name," Riley pointed out. "But I guess when I met Ben, I would've never thought you two were related." All of a sudden, the conversation was stopped when Ben's phone rang loudly. He jumped at the noise and answered the phone, walking away from the table. Abigail watched him closely while Riley and Rachel talked about some other memories from school. When Ben came back to the table, he stared at Riley and his fiancé.

"That was Sadusky. We have to meet him this afternoon about…something urgent," he said, glancing at Rachel. When their eyes met, Rachel stood up quickly and made an excuse about it being late and having to get home. Riley offered to drive her home, but Ben gave him a look. Feeling Abigail grip his hand under the table, Ben's expression softened and he said, "Sure, Riley. Meet us at Sadusky's office."

Rachel practically ran out of the restaurant, and Riley jogged to catch up with her.

"Slow down, Forrest!" he called, letting out a chuckle. Rachel slowed down a little, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"So that's what you do, huh?" she asked slowly, raising an eyebrow at him.

Riley furrowed his brow, but before he could ask what she meant, Rachel continued: "Don't think I don't know what my brother does. My mom's sent me countless magazine and newspaper clippings about how Ben found the Templar Treasure with my dad, and of course most recently, the City of Gold. I think the last time I talked to her at length was when she came home from South Dakota with my father." She turned and kept walking down the street towards Riley's car.

"Then why are you upset?" he asked, matching her brisk speed.

"Why didn't you just tell me what you did for a living?" she asked directly.

"Well, the last time I told someone what I did, it didn't work out so well," he explained. When Rachel looked at him confusedly, he added, "My most recent ex." Rachel's mouth formed a small O and she nodded a little. "And like I said, I had no idea Ben was your brother! Give me a break."

They stopped at his car and Rachel turned to face him, looking him deep in the eyes for the first time in a while. She sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Riley. This is just… really tough for me." Without saying a word, Riley embraced her and just let her breathe. After a moment, Rachel let go of him and said, "You're such a good friend, Riley. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Rach," he said honestly. "Maybe sometime we …" He trailed off, closed his lips and shook his head. "Let's get you home."

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A/N: Oooooo! What do you think he was gonna say?!

So I added a little bit of Riley in this chapter! Ok, a lot of bits. But he and Rachel are great together, huh? And a little more drama there for ya with Ben. More drama will be on the way when Emily and Patrick come back into the picture!! I promise to update very very soon, but I need some more reviews first!

REVIEW please :-)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Chapter six is here! It's a little shorter, but a lot happens, so it all works out. Lots of Riley in this chapter, some Emily, and some Sadusky!

**REVIEW please :-)**

P.S. I made some funny little jokes in here. I hope you get them…I think they're clever. :P

Disclaimer: Only own Rachel and any other characters you don't recognize.

* * *

After Riley dropped her off at her apartment, Rachel thanked him and gave him her number, telling her to call her sometime so they could actually get together and catch up.

Now on his way to Sadusky's meeting with Ben and Abigail, Riley felt happier than he had in a long time. Rachel never knew this, but Riley had considered her one of his best friends while in college. But unfortunately, along with those feelings came stronger romantic ones. After he left and pursued a career in computer programming, the two had lost touch. There hadn't been a day he didn't regret not asking her out. Thinking she had been the one to get away from him, he immersed himself in his work – especially when Ben came along and asked for his help finding the Charlotte. The past four years in particular had gone by fast, with two national treasures discovered by Ben, Riley, and Abigail with different people to help along the way.

It bothered him to see Rachel so upset by that meeting with Ben. He wasn't lying when he had said that neither she nor Ben had ever mentioned siblings. He had always assumed that Emily and Patrick had one child – his best friend. Come to think of it, neither of them had mentioned Rachel either. Riley realized that something big must have happened for none of the family members to discuss the youngest Gates.

When Riley got past security, an agent led him to Sadusky's office. He saw Abigail and Ben sitting inside with Sadusky on the other side of his desk in his own chair.

"Ah, Mr. Poole, sit down," Sadusky said, gesturing to a free seat next to Ben. Riley sat down graciously and Sadusky leaned forward on his desk.

"Well, I'm going to get right down to it. While this may come as a shock to the three of you, I want you to know that we are all fully aware of the situation." Looking at the three pairs of wide eyes staring back at him, he continued. "Ian Howe got out on bail earlier today."

Abigail gasped and grasped Ben's hand. Ben and Riley looked at each other and then back at Sadusky. "Who paid his bail?" Ben asked seriously.

"All we know is that it was a man who claims to be his younger brother," Sadusky explained.

Ben frowned at him and shook his head, saying, "Ian never said he had a brother."

Riley gave a snort of laughter and looked down at his lap, shaking his head. The other three looked at him and Riley muttered, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Pot."

"What was that, Mr. Poole?" Sadusky asked.

"We, uh, just met Ben's sister a little while ago—" Abigail started, glancing at Ben and then back at Sadusky.

"Rachel?" Sadusky asked suddenly. At their confused glances, he explained. "We have all of your records, Ben. And I take it from Dr. Chase's tone of voice and Mr. Poole's comment that you had not told either of them about your sister?"

"What is she, a convicted felon? Why is there all this mystery around her, Ben?" Riley asked, speaking fast. "She's my friend, I deserve –"

"Can we get back to the issue at hand, please?" Abigail asked, turning to Sadusky.

Sadusky smiled and nodded at the three of them. "While we don't believe there is cause for alarm at this point, I needed to tell you this information so that you're aware of the situation."

"If there's no '_cause for alarm'_, then why tell us?" Riley asked, putting up air-quotes.

"And what do you mean, '_at this point_'?" Ben asked, sitting up a little more in his chair.

"We all know Mr. Howe's criminal record, and you three most of all. There's no doubt in my mind that he was bailed out for a reason. We have yet to find one, but we'll tell you at first sign of distress," Sadusky explained, and he dismissed them.

***********

Rachel called her mother when she got home, locking herself in her bedroom. Tracey had tried to talk to her when she first got in, but only heard the words "brother" and "Ben" and "Panera".

The phone rang three times until her mother picked up. "Hello?"

"Mom," Rachel said urgently.

"Oh hello, sweetheart! What a surprise! We haven't spoken in—"

"A while, I know," Rachel said, cutting her off.

"What's wrong, Rachel?" Emily asked, her breath hitching a little.

Rachel took a deep breath. "I saw Ben today." There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

"Did you…did you talk to him at all?" her mother asked.

"We didn't really get a chance to. I ran into my old friend from school – Riley Poole," Rachel explained.

"I _knew_ there was something familiar about that boy," Emily said suddenly. "He was on the treasure hunt with Ben and your father and I!"

"Yeah, I just found that out today," Rachel said, rubbing her forehead. "Look, Mom, I—"

"You mean you didn't get the latest newspaper article I sent you?"

"Yeah I did, but…to be honest, I haven't really read any of them...It's just too…"

"I know, Rachel, it's okay," Emily said softly. Hearing her daughter starting to get choked up, she said, "Your father and I just wish you two could speak to one another again."

Rachel sniffled and replied, "You know that's not easy for me."

"Honey, it was years ago, why can't—"

"It may feel like years to you and Dad, but it's not as easy as it seems," Rachel explained, sitting on the edge of her bed. "It's even more difficult now that he found that treasure…I don't have anything to show him. No big accomplishments, nothing." She could feel herself losing it, and told her mother she would call her later. After hanging up the phone, she laid back on her bed and finally let everything from today sink in. Riley Poole…Ben…Ben's fiancé, Abigail…Ben…Mom and Dad…_Ben_

The sudden knock on her door ripped her out of her thoughts and she got up and unlocked her door, knowing it was Tracey. Her friend put her hand on the doorframe and looked at Rachel seriously. "Now," she said, "do you want to tell me what in the world is going on?"

Rachel laughed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "How much time do you have?"

"All night, if that's how long it's gonna take," Tracey replied, giving her friend a small smile.

***********

While Rachel's stories did not take all night, the two friends got a very minimal amount of sleep. Rachel had not fallen asleep easily, and did not wake up until very late in the morning. She threw her bathrobe over her tank and shorts and wandered out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. Tracey was sitting at the counter watching their small television while eating some breakfast. "Good morning," she said softly. Rachel smiled in response and ran a hand through her hair as she pulled a mug out of the cupboard for coffee.

"Wow," Tracey said, giving a low whistle. "You must have not slept well. You never drink coffee – especially when I make it. You know that's not decaf right?"

"I'm fine," Rachel muttered, pouring it for herself. She took a long sip and made a face. "That's what I get for reliving the last eight years of my life in one day?" she said sarcastically.

Tracey laughed a little and grabbed Rachel's phone from the other end of the counter. "You have two new voicemails," she said, handing it to her friend.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Probably just my mom."

She put it on speakerphone and dialed her number. Listening to the first one, she gave Tracey a look. "What did I tell you – it's my mom. She just wants me to call her…" She deleted that message and Tracey saw her friend's face light up when they heard whom the second voicemail was from.

"Hey Rachel, it's me. Oh sorry – it's Riley." She heard him laugh awkwardly at himself and smiled to herself. "You told me to call you so we could catch up. Sorry that didn't really work out yesterday. But hey, at least we got to see each other, and you got to see my car!" Tracey looked at Rachel with a confused expression, and Rachel mouthed '_Ferrari_'. Tracey raised her eyebrows and smiled. "So if you're around today, give me a call. I'm not really doing much, so call whenever you want. No, that sounds desperate. I'm sure I'm going to be doing _something_, so it's not like I'll be sitting around waiting for your call. Anyways, just…give me a call. I'd love to see you."

Rachel hung up her phone and Tracey looked at her with an amused expression.

"What?" Rachel asked innocently, taking another sip of the coffee.

"Nothing…" Tracey said, turning away from her. "Forget I said anything."

"But you didn't say anything," Rachel remarked, smiling and shaking her head.

Tracey made a face. "Stop ruining my morning gossip news. Ryan Seacrest's on."

Rachel mirrored her face and turned away, making herself some breakfast. She couldn't stop smiling. Riley's voicemail was very sweet, and she could picture him in her mind as he left the message. He had said he wasn't too busy today. _She_ was busy today, though. She had dance class this afternoon and would also be busy after that working with the other people who were going to audition for DCDC. Hopefully she and Riley could do something afterwards. She decided she would call him after she ate her breakfast and got ready for the day.

"Tracey, I'll see you later. I'm on my way out to class," Rachel called to her bedroom.

Tracey suddenly appeared at her door and she said with a twinkle in her eye, "Did you call ole Riles yet?"

Rachel shook her head, walking away into the kitchen to get her coat. She said nonchalantly, "I think I'll just call him on my way to my class. I have to—"

Tracey followed her and said, "Oh no, you do not get to leave me here completely ignorant again. I swear if you come home as upset as you were yesterday…"

Rachel laughed a little. "Trace, it's Riley!"

Her friend held up her hands and shook her head. "Fine. Just call me if you're going to be out late."

While driving her own beat-up SUV to the dance studio, Rachel put her phone on speakerphone and called Riley. He answered after it rang a couple of times.

"Hello?" he said coolly, although to Rachel he sounded a little out of breath, almost as if he had run to the phone to answer it.

"Hey Riley," Rachel said. "It's Rachel."

She could hear him smiling as he replied, "Hey, how are you?"

"Good," she said with a little laugh. Becoming more serious, she said, "I would love to get together today, but I'm actually busy this afternoon. I'm on my way to a dance class and then I have some work to do for my audition."

"Oh," Riley said, somewhat disappointed. "Well, we don't have to do anything today."

"No, no! I want to!" she said enthusiastically. "We could just meet up later for a coffee or something."

"Okay, that works for me. Do you know where that new internet café opened up off of Pennsylvania Ave?"

"Yeah, actually I do. Tracey works there on weekends," Rachel said, laughing.

Riley laughed. "Okay, so what time do you want to meet up?"

After thinking about it, she replied, "Is 4 okay?"

"That's great, Rach. I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye." After she hung up her phone, Rachel pulled into the parking lot of her current studio. Today was a hip-hop class, and afterwards would be more modern and solo work for auditions. Rachel was working diligently on her solo piece, knowing that only a few months from now, she could finally have something to show Ben to prove she hadn't wasted her time.

***********

That morning, Abigail found Ben sitting in his study asleep at his desk with a photo album in his hands. The page it was open to was a picture of him and his sister at what looked like her high school graduation. She rubbed his arms and whispered his name lovingly, causing him to stir and open his eyes. Abigail gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Were you down here all night?" she asked quietly.

Ben nodded slowly, rubbing his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't…I had to…"

Abigail frowned at his wordless explanation. "Ben, would you please tell me what's going on? Just talk to me."

Her fiancé looked up at her with a blank expression and said, "How much time do you have?"

Abigail chuckled and pulled him out of the chair. "Why don't we start with breakfast?"

Fueled by coffee and almost an hour later, Ben finished his story about why he and his sister lost touch. Abigail had tried not to interrupt him too much, asking him questions here and there. From what she understood, the Gates siblings had greatly hurt each other that night eight years ago, insulting each other and what mattered most to them. They sent each other birthday cards and little gifts and greeting cards around the holidays, but the Gates family had not been complete without Rachel. Ben said he felt she had been hit hardest, as she had always been a sensitive child. To see her brother, who she looked up to for every year of her life, yell at her and dismiss her dreams must have been very hard for her – still hard for her, as shown the day before at lunch.

"You should try to see her again, Ben," Abigail suggested.

"It's not that easy." Ben leaned forward on the kitchen table, resting his face in his hands.

"Would she answer if you called her?"

"I'll try…I promise."

"You better," Abigail said, getting up from the table. "Your parents' wedding is only a little more than a couple of weeks from now."

* * *

A/N: Oooo!! Patrick and Emily are getting remarried! That's awfully exciting! And what about Ian? I hope that's not too typical. I didn't want him to break out, so this younger brother of his paid his rather expensive bail. I don't know a whole lot about jail, so…I hope that's okay. Anyways – coming up next – some Riley/Rachel fluff coupled with some drama. Maybe a phone call from Ben…we'll see if he's up to it. **REVIEW!!!!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: CHAPTER SEVEN!!! If you thought a lot happened in the last few chapters, a lot more happens in this one.

Countless thanks to my faithful reviewer, **adda_edwards**! You've kept me going!

Please, please, please **_review_**. I can't make you do it, but it doesn't take _that_ much effort, does it? Thanks :-)

Disclaimer: Only own Rachel and other characters you don't recognize. Don't own American Pie either.

* * *

Rachel left her audition workshop after three hours of intensive work from her class and her own work on her solo. It was about 3:00 now, so she would have time to shower and get ready to meet Riley at the coffee shop.

On her way back to her apartment, she thought of how happy she was to see him again. Riley never knew this, but Rachel had considered him one of his best friends while in college. But unfortunately, along with those feelings came stronger romantic ones. Rachel had had a boyfriend for about a year and a half while at college – Jason, the one Riley had asked her about the day before. They dated for the second half of sophomore year, the year during which Riley and she had become so close. While dating Jason after Riley had left and pursued a career in computer programming, Rachel had pushed those feelings for Riley away. But after their sophomore year, there hadn't been a day that summer that she didn't think about him and hope he was well.

To have him come back into her life was a delight.

After getting back to the apartment, Rachel was glad to see that Tracey was nowhere to be found. She had left Rachel a note saying that she was out grocery shopping. Smiling to herself since she was liberated from answering countless questions, she hopped into the shower, trying to figure out what to wear. It wasn't a date, and Rachel didn't understand why she was so nervous for it.

Once dressed with her hair dried and make-up done, she headed over to the café…but not before leaving a note for Tracey to tell her that was where she would be. She turned on her radio and heard the first words of the song the was playing – "we can make hours into years/wherever you go you're always here/it's like I've known you from before/but I'm just so happy you walked through the door". Rachel smiled to herself and laughed at the irony of the lyrics, knowing how happy she was that Riley was back in her life. Those old feelings from college were slowly showing themselves again, but she knew she didn't have time for a relationship right now. Riley was also on the rebound from his recent ex-girlfriend, and she didn't even know how he felt about her. The two of them would always be good friends.

She spotted Riley's car in front of the café and parked a few cars behind it. Inside the shop, Riley was at a table near the window, watching people walk by on the streets. He heard the bells above the door jingle and he stood up and embraced Rachel when she made it over to him. He inhaled her sweet-smelling perfume and pulled away, smiling.

"What do you want to drink? I haven't gotten anything yet, but I can get something with yours. The new latte sounds pretty good. I think it's chocolate…or maybe some kind of spice," Riley said, almost rambling. Rachel smiled and asked for a frappucino, talking her jacket off and sitting down at the table. She suddenly became aware of how low-cut her blouse was, and she was glad she had worn a tank underneath it. When Riley came back with their drinks, Rachel giggled at the song that came on the radio through the ceiling above them.

"What's so funny?" he asked, sipping his drink and smiling at her.

"Listen to the song right now – Valentine's Day, sophomore year." She raised her eyebrows and returned his smile.

Riley listened for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. As the chorus played, he laughed a little and rubbed his face with one of his hands. "American Pie," he groaned.

They started singing quietly, "Bye, bye Miss American Pie/drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry/them good ol boys were drinking whisky and rye singing this'll be the that I die, this'll be the day that I die."

Rachel laughed and took a long sip from her drink, thinking back to that night. "You were so drunk."

"It was Valentine's Day. You're either drunk with love or drink your pathetic loneliness away," Riley said matter-of-factly.

"That's terrible." She frowned at him, but let a little chuckle slip past her lips.

"Well, at least that night you learned that you should never leave me alone with alcohol. I still can't believe you found me like that."

"You were in your dorm room in your underwear singing at the top of your lungs with a drink in your hand. What was I supposed to do?" Rachel said, seeing him blush slightly at the memory.

"You could've just laughed and taken pictures of me for blackmail."

"Who says I didn't?" she retorted, narrowing her eyes playfully. At the look on Riley's face, she burst out laughing. "Don't worry, I don't have any."

He let out a long breath and smiled, relaxing. This was easier than he thought it would be. Just thinking about this little get-together made him nervous. He knew it wasn't a date, but Rachel had always given him butterflies. Not knowing how she felt about him, he knew they would always be friends.

As the time flew by, they were interrupted as Riley's stomach grumbled loudly. They both laughed, Riley more because of his embarrassment. "I guess I'm getting kind of hungry," he said, shrugging him shoulders.

"Me too," Rachel said, glancing at her watch. "Well that figures – it's already after six."

"Are you kidding?" he asked incredulously. "I guess that saying is true about fun and flying."

Rachel laughed and suggested they go somewhere for dinner since they were already out and both hungry. She was glad that their night would be extended a little more, knowing that they had to make up for many years' worth of lost time.

********

Rachel and Riley spent the night on his lumpy couch watching television and talking as they ate Chinese food from the cartons, reminding them of the nights they had spent together during school. Rachel finally left around ten, returning to her own apartment and her very curious roommate. The next day as they were getting ready to go out to a nightclub, Tracey asked Rachel all about her night.

"It was fun. We just talked, hung out…it's just so good to do that again," Rachel explained, trying to decide between two different tops to wear with her dark skinny jeans.

Tracey nodded and smiled slyly. "I'll bet it is." She pointed to the pink tank on Rachel's bed.

"What do you mean by that?" Rachel asked curiously, laughing a little.

"Oh come on, Rach. You cannot tell me that you're not happy to see him because maybe some of those old feelings you had for him are coming back." Rachel blushed slightly and turned away from her, putting on the tank.

"No, Riley and I are friends," she retorted quietly.

"Of course you are – I know that. But you can't lie to yourself."

"I'm not – we're going out tonight. Who knows? I could meet someone completely new who will sweep me off my feet."

"Yeah, and I could ride home on a white horse with Prince Charming," Tracey said, rolling her eyes as she scrunched her hair in curls that were bound to fall out before the night was over.

Rachel threw the other top at her and laughed, knowing that she didn't believe her own words.

********

A couple of hours and drinks later, Rachel approached the bar after leaving Tracey on the dance floor with a man she was getting cozy with.

"Rum and coke," she called to the bartender.

"Make that two," a male voice said behind her. The man it belonged to brushed past her and leaned against the bar beside her. He had somewhat shaggy blonde hair that suited him nicely, and was dressed in jeans and a pinstriped dress shirt. He threw down a few bills when the two drinks were brought back to him and Rachel.

"You didn't have to do that," she said, picking up her glass.

"My pleasure. A beautiful woman like yourself deserves a man to pay for her drink once in a while," he said smoothly. Rachel could hear his British accent, and she smiled involuntarily.

"Well, in that case…thank you," she said, taking a sip.

"Does a goddess like yourself have a name?" he asked. Rachel threw her head back and laughed. She introduced herself by first name only.

"Rachel, I'm Nathan," he said, holding out his hand to her. When he took hers in his hand, he gave it a quick kiss while looking into her eyes. "Are you here with anyone?"

"Yeah, just a friend of mine – she's over there with the guy in the black tshirt," Rachel replied, gesturing over to Tracey, who was clearly enjoying herself during a song heavily laden with bass.

Nathan laughed and said, "Well in that case, Miss Rachel…what do you say you and me go somewhere a little quieter to talk? Say the lounge in the other room?"

He flashed her a charming smile and Rachel returned it. "I'd love to."

She could see that this man was her senior, but by how much she was unsure. He looked like he could be in his mid-thirties – the shaggy haircut he had chosen for himself made him appear more mysterious, adding to an air of superiority he held. He made her laugh and his cologne was intoxicating. The two were only able to talk for a little while before Tracey came downstairs, signaling to Rachel to ask to go home. Her once curly hair was in loose, tangled ringlets above her shoulders, and her body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Seeing she was talking to a very attractive man, Tracey smirked and put her coat on, pointing to the door to the parking lot. Rachel smiled and turned back to Nathan.

"Are you and your friend leaving?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, we both have to work tomorrow, so we should get going," she replied, nodding.

"We should do this again sometime. May I call you?" Nathan asked. Rachel smiled at his politeness and grabbed a pen from the bartender's cup, writing her number on the receipt. When she handed it to Nathan, he held her hand for a moment and kissed it once more, slower than he had when he met her. Their eyes locked and a smile grew on her face.

They both stood up, Nathan having not let go of Rachel's hand. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "Goodnight…Rachel." The way he said her name made a shiver go down her spine, and she barely managed to say goodnight.

Meeting Tracey in the parking lot, Rachel was sure that she had just met a perfect English gentleman. All of her previous thoughts about Riley were far in the back of her mind.

********

The next morning, Rachel woke up with a smile on her face from memories of the previous night. She even sang to herself in the shower after she ate a quick breakfast. When she was dressed, she turned on the television to occupy herself until she had to go work the lunch shift at one of the restaurants she worked at.

She jumped a little when her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, and immediately thought it was Nathan from the night before. She shook her head and smiled, answering the phone calmly. "Hello?"

"Rachel?" The voice on the other end of the phone wiped the smile from her face. "It's Ben…please don't hang up!" he added quickly. She could hear him holding his breath, waiting for her reply.

"Hi, Ben," she said seriously.

"How-how are you?" her brother stammered.

"Good…you?"

"Good."

At the silence that followed, the only thing the two could hear was the other's breath.

"How's Abigail?" Rachel asked suddenly, doing anything to prevent the conversation from becoming more awkward than it already was. Besides, she liked Abigail and had thoroughly enjoyed her company at lunch.

"She's great – out with a friend at the florist trying to figure what to get for centerpieces at our reception," Ben replied. Rachel could hear him relaxing a little.

"Didn't feel like going out to help her?" she asked teasingly.

"We differ a little in our tastes in art," he said, laughing a little. Rachel could feel her mouth twitch into the beginnings of a smile.

"Are you coming to Dad's next week for dinner?" Ben asked after a short pause. "Mom finally finished moving in, and they said they wanted to celebrate…"

"Yeah, Mom told me about it when we talked last…" she responded, thinking out loud back to her last phone conversation with her mother. Not only had she had to talk to her mother about Ben, she had to hear about the latest family treasure hunt and how her parents were getting back together. Rachel was ecstatic about the upcoming wedding, but didn't know how she felt about seeing Ben so often and so soon.

"So…so will I see you there?" he asked quietly. "I know Mom invited Riley, too. He's practically a part of the family." Rachel heard her brother laugh a little at the end of the sentence and she smiled to herself.

"Yeah, I'll be there," she said, equally quiet. There was another pause on the other end of the phone, until Rachel could hear Ben clear his throat.

"Good…I can't wait to see you, Rach," he said sincerely.

"See you soon," Rachel said, hanging up the phone. She leaned back into the couch, suddenly disinterested in whatever the woman was cooking on the screen. In a few days, the Gates family would be together for the first time in eight years.

* * *

A/N: So Ben and Rachel are going to a Gates family dinner. What will happen? And who is this _Nathan_ guy? Thoughts?? Opinions???


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Chapter 8 is finally here! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I will say I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who continued to read or review while I was gone! This chapter has been sitting on my computer for a while and I will honestly say I waited so long to update because I didn't have any other chapters after it. But now I do, so expect another update soon to make up for lost time!

Disclaimer: Only own Rachel. Don't own Reno 911 or Transformers or anything or anyone from NT.

Pulling up to the house she hadn't visited in a little over a year, Rachel sighed and turned her car off. She saw Riley's car and what she guessed was either Ben's or Abigail's SUV. She checked her hair in the mirror, half pulled back by a simple brown clip. She was wearing a red patterned dress and red dress sandals to match. After locking her car, she walked up the brick walkway to the front door, smoothing the skirt of the dress out from getting bunched up from the drive over. She rang the doorbell and nervously tapped her foot. She could hear laughter inside and clicking footsteps coming towards the door. When the door opened, she came face to face with her mother.

"Hi, Mom!" Rachel said happily, embracing her.

"Oh, sweetheart it's so good to see you!" Emily said, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "I'm so glad you could make it." She gave her shoulder a squeeze and led her into the living room. Ben and Abigail were on the couch together while Riley and Patrick were seated in the large armchairs. Their conversation stopped almost immediately after Rachel stepped into the room. Patrick followed the gazes of the other three and smiled happily at his daughter.

"Rachel!" he hugged her warmly and pulled back, smiling one of the most genuine smiles she had ever seen her father wear.

"Hi, Dad," she said, returning his smile. She saw Riley smiling at her as well. He was wearing a dress shirt and tie and dark jeans. Abigail stood and walked over to Rachel, saying how happy she was to see her again. The two younger women hugged briefly, and Abigail glanced at the now full couch with Emily sitting next to Ben.

"Sit, down, honey, sit down," Emily said.

Riley scrambled to his feet and said, "You can take my seat."

Rachel waved her hand at him and replied, "No, it's okay. I'll pull over one of the smaller chairs from by the window." She could feel Ben's eyes on her as she brought the chair back over to the little family circle, putting it down between Riley and where her mother was sitting on the couch.

"How was the traffic getting here?" Patrick asked.

"Fine, no trouble," she replied, shaking her head. Emily stood up and asked her daughter what she'd like to drink. Rachel said water would be fine, and after her mother had disappeared into the kitchen, it was Abigail's turn to speak.

"Rachel, how do you feel about lilies?" she asked seriously. Rachel looked up at her, and glanced at Ben.

"Um…they're pretty," she said awkwardly. "Why do you ask?" But before Abigail could reply, she said quickly, "Oh your centerpieces!" Abigail nodded and smiled.

"Well, if you're getting married in September, don't you think you should go for something a little more…all-year round? I think lilies are more of a summer flower," she suggested. She heard Riley laugh a little to himself and turned to him. "What?"

"This is what they were talking about earlier – her and your mom," he explained.

"Well, I'm sorry but I happen to be getting married in less than four months!" Abigail said heatedly. Ben patted her knee and looked at Rachel again. Rachel caught his gaze and then looked away quickly, turning to Riley once more.

"Did you ever clean up your kitchen from the other night?" she asked teasingly.

"We weren't that messy," he said, frowning a little. Rachel laughed at the look on his face, and then was met with three confused glances from the other three people in the room.

"Sorry," Rachel mumbled, looking down at her lap.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Patrick asked curiously.

"Riley and I hung out the other night, just catching up," she explained.

Patrick furrowed his brow and Riley said quickly, "We were friends in college, and we just saw each other again about a week ago when I was having lunch with Ben and Abigail." Abigail smirked at Riley, who she thought was speaking a little nervously. Glancing at Patrick and her fiancé, she realized that the two Gates men were wearing the same expression as they passed their hand over their chins in thought. Before anyone could say anything further, Emily came back into the living room with Rachel's water.

"Em, did you know that Rachel and Riley knew each other?" Patrick asked her as she sat down beside Ben.

"Well yes – of course. Rachel mentioned a friend named Riley several times, but I admit I didn't remember his last name. But after we discovered Cibola and Riley introduced himself to me in the tunnel I knew he was familiar," Emily explained, smiling kindly at Riley and then at her to-be-husband. "It just occurred to me the other day that he is who he is after Rachel mentioned seeing him when we were on the phone a little while ago."

Ben smiled a little at his sister, and was surprised when she returned it with her own. Emily stood up and asked her daughter for some help in the kitchen to get dinner ready.

Once in the kitchen, Rachel stopped in the doorway and scanned the room from its countertops to its cabinets, to the bright white walls and the dark wooden kitchen table on which stood a bouquet of flowers in a vase. Emily leaned over and pulled a large pan of pasta out of the oven, placing it on the counter next to the sink.

"Rachel, could you get me the salad from the refrigerator?" she asked. When she didn't hear anything, she looked up from the pasta at her daughter, who was still standing in the doorway of the kitchen with wide eyes. Upon further investigation, she saw the ghost of a smile on her face. She walked over to Rachel and rubbed her arm.

"What is it, sweetheart?" she asked quietly.

"The last time Ben and I were in this house together, I was thirteen years old…" she explained, shaking her head. She breathed deeply and laughed a little at the memory, surprising herself a little. "He shoved snow on his girlfriend's hair and told her to leave. It was the best Christmas gift he could've given me. I knew I was being selfish, but at the time…spending time with my brother was the most important thing in the world." She looked down at her feet and cleared her throat. "Funny…how things change."

Emily frowned slightly at her daughter. "Nothing would make me happier than seeing you and Ben as you once were, but I know this is hard for you. You'll both be at the wedding in a couple weeks, remember that," she said, walking over to the refrigerator and getting the large bowl of salad from the shelf. Rachel looked up at her and shook her head. "I can't wait for the wedding, you know that. I'm your maid of honor, for crying our loud."

Her mother smiled and said, "At least the dress you picked out is better than the ones the bridesmaids wore at my last wedding to your father." The two laughed a little until Abigail appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, Abigail, how are the boys?" Emily asked. Abigail shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Boys," she said shortly. "I think Ben and Riley were talking about his car again. Somehow it turned into an argument about why Ben still doesn't want to see _Transformers_."

"Because obviously Ben doesn't understand good fictional cinematic adventures when they come roaring off the screen in front of him," Rachel quipped.

Abigail laughed and said, "I think Riley said something vaguely similar."

Rachel smiled as Emily and Abigail shared a knowing glance that went unnoticed by the youngest Gates.

"Why don't you call them in for dinner and spare Patrick from it?" Emily suggested. Rachel hurried out of the kitchen and into the living room where she could hear Riley on a long-winded explanation about the movie.

"What do you have against aliens, cars, action, and hot women all wrapped into one package?" he said to Ben, counting off the things he listed on his hand. Ben shook his head but before he could reply, Rachel quickly said "Dinner!" She clapped her hands once and smiled at the three before her. Patrick practically ran past her and whispered a _thank you_ to his daughter, who laughed.

Ben followed him, who rolled his eyes and rubbed his face with his hand. Rachel smiled and patted him on the arm as he passed, watching him walk into the dining room. Riley suddenly grabbed her arm and asked her seriously, "_Please_ tell me you've seen _Transformers_."

She nodded. "Actually, yes, on a really bad date_. I_ was the one who wanted to see it. _He_ wanted to see the Reno 911 movie." Riley smiled as they went to join the others at the dinner table.

Dinner went by reasonably smoothly as Patrick and Emily asked Rachel about her upcoming auditions and her jobs. She and the others found out Riley wanted to write another book, but he was so busy with the publicity for his first one that had grown more popular after the discovery of Cibola. Emily and Abigail discussed more about their weddings – Emily and Patrick were having a small ceremony while Ben and Abigail planned for a larger one.

As everyone finished, Rachel offered to wash the dishes to let her mother stay off her feet for a little while. While Emily insisted it wasn't necessary, Rachel was just happy to get away from the table for a little while. She walked through the doorway, dishes in her hands, and over to the sink. She turned on the faucet and jumped a little when she heard Riley speak up behind her. "I'll help," he said, smiling at her.

"_You_ - wash a dish?" Rachel asked sarcastically.

"Hey, I can only do so many at a time," he retorted, nudging her in the side.

"Is that why they pile up in your sink?"

"I'll admit, when you came over the pile was unreasonably high. I've gotten a lot better since college, thank you," he said, washing the first one with a sponge in the sink. Rachel put her hands on her hips and sighed, smiling. She saw the bubbles in the sink rising faster.

"Well, Mr. Poole, what to do with you?"

Riley turned to her and flicked his fingers at her, sprinkling her with water. He made a face and laughed when she saw her bring her hands up to defend herself. She turned back to him with her mouth hanging open in disbelief. Before Riley could defend himself she scooped up some of the bubbles in her hand and blew them at him, laughing at the ones that landed in his hair. As she continued, Riley did the same to her and the bubbles flew into her face and in her hair as well.

"Okay, stop," Rachel said, holding her hands up in defeat. "I don't want anyone to come out here and find us." She pressed her fingers to the top of her hair to squish the bubbles and then walked over to the coffeemaker, starting a fresh pot. Riley had turned back to the dishes, but she walked over to him and put her hand on his arm.

"No, stop. I'll do it. Go be social for a little while. Ask if anyone wants coffee," she suggested, shooing him out of the kitchen. Riley obliged and walked back out into the dining room, leaving Rachel hunched over the sink, washing the last few dishes.

"What're you doing, Rach?" she asked herself aloud. _Flirting_, responded a voice in her head. _Don't do this to yourself. He's your friend. And you have a date with Nathan this weekend._

When she was finished with the dishes, she took out some mugs for coffee and wiped her hands on the dishtowel. Looking out the window to the backyard, she saw the old swing on the big oak tree. Without thinking twice, she went outside.

The other five were happily conversing at the dinner table when the coffeemaker suddenly beeped to signal it was ready. Patrick got up from the table to go help his daughter, who had been away from them for a suspiciously long time. Not seeing her in the kitchen, he poked his head around the corner and asked if anyone knew where she was. While Riley, Emily, and Abigail shook their heads, Ben stood up quickly from the table and brushed past his father through the kitchen and to where he knew his sister would be.

Rachel looked down at her feet as she pushed off the ground to gently swing back and forth. She laughed bitterly to herself as she realized that truly every time she was here with Ben she ended up outside – just to clear her mind, think. At this moment, she had too many things on her mind. Her parents' wedding, her audition, Ben and Abigail's wedding, Riley, Nathan…

A faint smile crossed her lips as she thought of Nathan. She was really looking forward to their date. She hadn't been on a formal date for a little while. She wasn't sure yet what she thought of him but knew how she felt about his smile, and his eyes…

"Rachel?" She looked up quickly when she heard her brother call out her name. He was walking towards her from the back door. "What are you doing out here?"

She smiled and stopped swinging. "You know why I'm out here."

Ben stopped when he stood in front of her. Rachel saw a stool in his hand, which he placed down beside her and sat down upon. Sighing, he looked up at her. "Well, I know the last time you were out here, you had braces, knobby knees, and you were upset because I brought a girl to our Christmas dinner with Dad," he said, crossing his arms and resting them on his knees.

"I'm not proud of that moment…" Rachel said, shaking her head.

"No, you were right to be angry with me. I wasn't thinking…" he trailed off, not knowing what else to say. After a long pause, he spoke again. "Looking forward to Mom and Dad's wedding?"

She nodded slowly and said quietly, "Yeah, I really think I am. It's not like it's going to be a big ceremony or anything, but…it'll just be nice to see them together. I never had the chance to when I was little."

"You didn't miss out on much. Most of my memories are about them arguing, but there were times when you could really tell they were in love," he explained. They both smiled and glanced at each other.

"You can tell now," Rachel remarked. "Something about those treasure hunts …brings people together." She raised her eyebrows at her brother, who laughed a little. "You and Abigail met through a treasure hunt." Ben nodded, smiling.

"I wouldn't change anything for the world. I wish I could've proposed to her in the same way, but instead we just did the old-fashioned dinner date."

"Mom told me you proposed after having dinner on the Eiffel Tower, Ben. While a little cliché, I'm sure she was still happy." She laughed and shivered slightly as a breeze brushed against her shoulders.

"Let's go inside. I don't want them worrying about us—" Ben started. As if on cue, Riley suddenly opened the back door and looked outside at them.

"Hey – Gates!" He shouted, causing both siblings to look up at him.

"We'll be right there, Riley," Rachel said, slipping out of the swing and brushing off her dress. Ben stood up and looked at his sister, smiling.

"I'm really happy you're here, Rachel," he said sincerely.

She smiled and said, "Me, too."

As the two brushed past Riley, he gently touched her shoulder and asked her if she was okay. After she said she was, Riley said, "Hey, I'm having a book-signing tomorrow at Borders. You should come by."

"You mean for the book that my mom sent me?" she asked. Riley shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably…" he said sheepishly.

Rachel smiled brightly and said, "I'd love to go. I haven't read it yet, but maybe once it gets signed by the dashingly handsome author, it'll inspire me to start it." She nudged him in the shoulder and walked back into the dining room. She inwardly kicked herself for flirting with him again. Riley was her friend – that was all.

As Riley, Abigail, and the Gates siblings were getting their things together to go home and say goodnight to each other, Riley pulled Rachel aside once more to tell her what time the book signing was at.

"I'll be there, don't worry," she said, patting his arm and looking him in the eyes.

He laughed a little a nodded. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

A/N: Hooray for Riley finally getting some success with his book! We all knew he would!

So Rachel's got some feelings for Riley. Who didn't see that coming? Haha, sorry. Still, it's going to complicate things seeing as she's got a date with Nathan pretty soon! Uh oh...


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Here's chapter 9! It's been a very long time since this has been updated and I hope all of my followers (if there are still any left at this point!) enjoy this chapter. It's got some Rachel and Riley fluff and some more Nathan drama.

Hopefully chapter 10 will be up soon, too, but I won't make any promises I can't keep.

Review if you'd like! Thanks!

Disclaimer: All belongs to Disney. I made up Angelo's and WeWeekly (like UsWeekly).

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me…" Rachel murmured at the sight of the long line of people coming out of the door and along the side of the store. She locked her car and pushed a piece of her hair back behind her ears as she sighed and smiled. '_My friend, the celebrity_,' she thought.

She pushed past a few people to get into the store before noticing a table at the front of it where Riley was sitting and talking animatedly with a woman with auburn hair. As she walked alongside the line to the front, she noticed that many of the people in line were in fact, women. Young women.

Riley posed for a picture with the woman he had been talking to. Rachel smiled at him and saw his eyes widen when he spotted her. Unfortunately for the woman posing with him, he chose to do that at the exact moment the camera's flash went off. Not realizing his actions, he immediately waved to Rachel and called out her name. No less than twenty five scowls met her embarrassed expression as she edged to the front to be face to face with her friend.

"You're here!" he said happily.

"You sound surprised," she replied, adjusting her purse's strap on her shoulder.

Riley shrugged his shoulders and looked at the two employees working security behind the chair he was originally sitting in.

"Can I get five?" he asked. They both nodded and Riley led Rachel behind the curtain that displayed a blown up image of the cover of his book surrounded by Borders logos. He sighed and shook his shoulders a little.

"Tired of being famous already?" Rachel asked, giving him a sideways smile.

"Well, the number of pictures today has made my jaw hurt a little from all the smiling. But it's nice getting attention from women for a change," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Rachel smacked him in the arm. "What am I, a chipmunk?"

"No, I just…of course you're a woman. You're just-"

"It's okay, Riley," she said, laughing at the look on his face.

"Do you…will you go out for dinner with me later?" he asked suddenly.

"Of course! What'd you have in mind?" she replied.

"I was thinking maybe…Angelo's?" he said. Rachel smiled but furrowed her brow a little. Angelo's was the nicest Italian restaurant in their part of the city.

"Um, yeah. That would be nice," she said. Riley smiled brightly.

"Ok, I'll pick you up at seven." He pushed up his sleeves and shook his arms a little. "For now, I've got to get back to signing my name a hundred more times."

As he walked around to the front of the curtain, Rachel heard the din of the women's voices grow louder, accompanied by several camera flashes. She shook her head and chose the exit closer to the café section behind her.

'Why would he want to take me to Angelo's?' she thought, walking to her car.

* * *

Upon returning to her apartment, she found Tracey sitting on the couch reading through the latest WeWeekly. Rachel threw her purse down on the counter in the kitchen and jumped into the armchair beside the couch.

"How's the celebrity?" Tracey asked without looking up from her purse.

Rachel smiled tiredly. "He's fine. Apparently we're going out to Angelo's for dinner later."

Tracey's head snapped up from the magazine. "What?"

"What?" Rachel asked innocently.

"People get like, _engaged_ at Angelo's," she said matter-of-factly.

Rachel tucked her feet further underneath her and shook her head. "We're just friends, Trace. He probably just wants to celebrate his book-signing."

Before Tracey could retort, a rhythmic buzzing sound erupted from Rachel's purse. She hopped up to grab her phone and frowned when she saw the number.

"Who is it?" Tracey asked. Her friend shook her head and answered the phone.

"Hello, Rachel. It's Nathan," the voice responded. She smiled brightly and stood up on her tiptoes.

"Nathan!" she said, grimacing when she realized how much of a dumb schoolgirl she must sound like. She took a deep breath. "Hi, how are you?"

He must have sensed her excitement – he laughed deeply. "I'm well, darling. I was just calling to ask if you had any plans tonight?"

Her stomach dropped and she pulled the ends of her hair, kicking herself inwardly as she replied, "Nothing too important, why?"

"Would you like to accompany me to dinner? A good acquaintance of mine suggested an Italian restaurant called Angelo's. I'd love it if you joined me."

She smiled again at his voice. "I would love it, too."

"How does seven thirty sound?" he asked.

Rachel glanced at the clock – 4:00. Was it too late to ask Riley for a raincheck?

"Seven thirty is perfect."

"Wonderful. I'll pick you up."

Rachel gave him her address and they said their goodbyes and Rachel tossed her phone back and forth between her hands after hanging up.

Tracey stared at her and after a pregnant pause said, "So…you're ditching your oldest friend?"

"Not intentionally…I'll just tell him I'm not feeling well. We can hang out again…maybe tomorrow." Her fingers shook a little as she dialed Riley's number. When his voicemail picked up, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked away into her bedroom.

"Hey, Riley, it's Rachel. I'm not so sure I can make it to dinner after all. I'm not feeling all that great. But I'd love to take a raincheck to tomorrow night, if you're up for it…Hey, it was great to see you today. You're really…something. I'm proud of you. Anyways, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Her eyes welled up a little as she hung up, but before she could let any of her tears fall, Tracey appeared in her doorway with her hands behind her back.

"Ok, all opinions aside about the bad thing you're doing to Riley – " She pulled a little black dress on a hanger from behind her back. "You have _got_ to wear this tonight."

* * *

Rachel put her other earring of dangling diamonds in her other ear and hopped into her black pumps.

"Slow down," Tracey said, holding her hands out in front of her. "You're gonna break an ankle."

Rachel sighed and stepped gracefully into the shoes as they heard a knock on the door. Tracey smiled slyly and walked over to the couch as her friend walked as quickly as she could to the mirror in the doorway beside the coat rack. She smoothed out her dress and put a little piece of hair behind her ear.

"How do I look?" she said in a loud whisper to Tracey.

"If he doesn't want to sleep with you, that's his problem," she replied, shrugging her shoulders and turning on the television.

Rachel blushed fiercely and took a deep breath before answering the door.

"Hi, Nathan," she said.

"Hello, Rachel." He smiled and gave her a quick up-down. "You look amazing."

"Thank you," she said, returning his smile.

"Shall we?" he said, holding the door and letting her slip by him after she grabbed her purse and light jacket.

As dinner went by, Rachel found herself getting less and less concerned about the choice she made about telling Riley a fairly small white lie. Nathan's charming smile made her feel those infatuated butterflies in her stomach and she tried hard not to tap her heel nervously against the floor beneath their table. It had been a while since she had been on a date like this.

After a fair share of red wine, Rachel excused herself to use the restroom. She was able to keep her balance until catching sight of someone familiar at the host's podium.

"Riley," she hissed under her breath, ducking behind a large tree next to a marble pillar. 'What the hell is he doing here?'

She could see him speaking animatedly to the host. He smiled when one of the waiters carried a bag to him filled with what looked like containers of food to go. To get a better look, she leaned forward a bit and her heel slipped on the matching marble floor. She tried to catch her balance but in doing so ended up in the middle of the foyer to the restrooms just behind the host's podium. Riley frowned at her and ran up to her.

"Rach, what are you doing here?" he asked, grasping her arm to help her regain her balance. "I thought you were sick."

"I…I'm so sorry, Riley. I forgot I already had plans tonight," she lied.

"Oh. Okay," he said shortly. They stared at each other for a moment. "You look really nice."

Rachel smiled a little. "Thanks."

"Well, I guess I won't need to bring this food to your place now," Riley said with a sigh, nodding towards the host's podium.

"You were going to-"

"Well, you said you weren't feeling well enough to go out, so I thought I could bring you dinner instead and we could stay in for the night…like last time. The food here is supposed to be incredible."

As if he could make her feel any guiltier for being on a date with another man, she feigned a smile again.

"That was really sweet of you, Riley," she said, rubbing his arm. She glanced over his shoulder at the disgruntled host. "You could still bring it to your place. Just put it in the fridge and maybe we can share it tomorrow."

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Might as well."

Rachel searched his face, noticing how disappointed he looked. Riley glanced around the restaurant. "Well, have fun with…whoever you're with tonight," he said.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "I-I'll call you about tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure," he said nodding.

Rachel watched him walk away with the large bag of food that was supposed to be for her. She swore under her breath and walked away to the bathroom.

When she made it back to the table, Nathan was handing the check back to the waiter. "Hi, darling. Everything all right? You were gone for little while," he said.

She nodded and smiled. "Everything's fine."

Nathan reached across the table and took her hand in his own. "What do you say we get out of here?"

He ran his thumb over the top of her hand and Rachel could feel her cheeks growing warm. "Sure."

Like a gentleman, Nathan drove her back to her apartment after the drove around the city for a little while. In their conversation, Rachel found herself growing more and more attracted to him. When he pulled up to the front of her apartment, he turned to her and gently put his hand on her knee, caressing it softly.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," he said, gazing into her eyes.

"I did, too," she replied, smiling. He leaned in towards her and she glanced at his lips before meeting them with her own. After a few moments, Nathan deepened the kiss and rested his hand on her cheek. He pulled away slightly and said, "It would be presumptuous to ask to follow you in, wouldn't it?"

Rachel bit her lip. How badly she wanted to say 'No, not presumptuous at all', but she wasn't that kind of girl. She knew it was only the effects of the wine and his charm.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Nathan laughed a little. "I'll call you later," he said, giving her a quick kiss.

She opened the passenger door and grabbed her purse from beside her. "Goodnight," she said over her shoulder.

"Goodnight," he replied.

Rachel unlocked the door and listened to him drive away. A smile grew on her face and her head felt light as she stepped in and closed the door behind her. She tiptoed into her room and flopped onto the bed. 'What a night.'

* * *

A/N: What a night, indeed. How could she do that to Riley? We'll see what the next night they spend together with that takeout brings. Patrick and Emily's wedding will be coming up very soon, too…possibly in the next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I want to thank anyone who's kept up with this story, because LOOK! AN UPDATE! I'm so sorry it's taken me what has seemed like forever to update this story, but I'm finally trying to get back into the swing of things and work on it. There's some Riley/Rachel fluff as requested!, as well as some more appearances from our favorite characters from the movie, and Nathan. ENJOY!

Disclaimer: Only own what is originally mine, therefore no Girl Scout Cookies, _Transformers_, or whatever else sounds familiar to you

* * *

Ben walked up the stairs briskly. After the doors opened, he immediately spread his arms and legs as four security guards scanned his body and patted him down.

"Eureka has landed, I repeat, Eureka has landed," one said loudly, holding a hand to his ear.

Ben smiled. "You know after all the times we've seen each other, Connor, you could just call me by my name." Before the flustered security guard could say anything, the President walked into the hall.

"Ben, good to see you again," he said, followed by another man behind him.

"Mr. President, sir," he said, nodding as they shook hands.

The President smiled and led him down the hall to the Oval Office. "Ben, this is Dr. Paul Richards. He'll be joining us for our meeting this afternoon."

Once the three of them settled themselves in the Office, Dr. Richards spoke up. "Mr. Gates, I for one am delighted to speak with you. It was imperative that the two of us meet before you do this expedition for the President."

Ben looked at the President. "Sir, I'm not familiar with any plans-"

He laughed. "Well, no, Ben. We haven't put it in any concrete details, no. But you know you need to carry this out. I know you were delighted with what you found in that book and I know you're the only one who can do this."

Dr. Richards cleared his throat. "You see, Mr. Gates, this expedition must be top secret. If it is going to be as life altering as you claimed, then the public cannot know what you are doing. Given your current status in the public eye, this is not going to be easy."

"Then maybe we should wait until things die down again. After the Templar Treasure was discovered, it took about two months for me to be somewhat normal again. I still get recognized at coffee shops because of the City of Gold."

Dr. Richards guffawed. "Mr. Gates, you are anything but normal. You're the one who solved the riddle on this page that Mr. President speaks of – in under a minute no less! That's why we need you to do this."

"Look, my parents' wedding is this weekend. Tomorrow night our family is having a small rehearsal dinner. I can't worry about this just right now." Ben stood up from his seat and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. The President glanced at Dr. Richards and looked up at his friend.

"Ben, I'm not asking you to do this now," he began tentatively. "But I just want you to know how incredible such a discovery would be. Not just for this country, but for the world. Not to mention another great discovery that could be another mystery solved by the infamous Gates family."

* * *

After her date with Nathan, Rachel was feeling pretty good the next day. She sang in the shower again, and happily refused the cup of coffee from Tracey before heading out to dance class. Her audition was next week and she was growing anxious for it to be over. All of her training over the last few years led up to this audition.

_Finally, something to prove to Ben._

Rachel shook her head, surprised at how suddenly the thought crossed her mind, and how angry it made her as she felt her chest burn. She hadn't thought of dance in a vengeful sense for years…since the night of her argument with Ben –

She jumped at the sound of her phone vibrating on the bottom of her bag. She dug through her shoes and dance clothes and yanked it out.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rachel, it's Abigail."

"Oh, hi! How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks. I was just calling to ask you if you got the message from Ben about how your parents changed the time of the rehearsal dinner to 7:00, not 7:30."

"Yeah, I did, thanks."

"Oh." Rachel could almost hear Abigail frown. "He said you never got back to him."

"Well, I might not have called him back, no, but I probably sent him a text."

"Oh, he didn't—" Abigail sighed. "Never mind. I don't know where your brother's head is half the time. He probably got it and forgot. No problem."

"Yep," Rachel quipped, not used to hearing Abigail address Ben as her brother.

"Were you going to drive yourself? You know you're more than welcome to go with Ben and I—"

"No, no, I'm fine, thanks," Rachel said, growing annoyed with her soon to be sister-in-law. "I'm actually trying to get to class right now, sorry, Abigail. I've got to run."

"I'm sorry! I'll see you on Friday!"

Rachel hung up the phone and dropped it into her bag. Rehearsal dinner tomorrow night would be interesting – small and intimate, only the four Gates family members, and Abigail, who would soon be a member of the family. Rachel smiled to herself, thinking of her once-best friend, but that smile immediately faded when she remembered what had happened last night. What kind of friend was she, standing up the guy who she was growing close to again? She'd have to make it up to him.

In class, Rachel could feel her anxiety bubbling beneath her skin as she danced her heart out, practicing the routine over and over surrounded by her other classmates. She just wanted the audition over with, but first she'd have to get through her parents' wedding. She felt overjoyed that they would be together again – almost a family, but with two estranged siblings. Between her thoughts about her parents, Riley, Ben, and even Nathan, she'd never felt more passion in her moves. In four days, she'd know if all of her hard work would pay off to land her dream job.

Later that afternoon while she was in the shower, Tracey knocked on the bathroom door.

"Rachel – your phone is ringing!" her friend yelled. "It's Riley!"

"Damnit," Rachel muttered, dropping her bottle of conditioner onto the shower floor. "Just let it go to voicemail!" She heard the door open.

"Uh-uh. You are not standing up that boy again. He has all of that Italian food in his fridge that is half yours, and you are going to eat it with him!" Tracey said. Rachel stuck her head out of the shower and frowned at her friend, who was staring at her with raised eyebrows.

"Fine, gimme," Rachel said, holding out her hand and turning off the shower with the other. Tracey handed her the phone but stayed there waiting for her to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rachel." She could tell Riley was trying to sound up-beat on the other end of the phone.

"Riley, I was just thinking of calling you." Tracey rolled her eyes and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, um…did you still want to get together later tonight? I know you still have all that food, and I…I'm really sorry Riley," she said, shifting her weight uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not always super organized when it comes to schedules, either. I forget about plans sometimes, too."

_Just kick me while I'm down, Poole_. "Yeah, well…I'd really like to make it up to you. We can watch _Transformers _on Netflix if you want?"

He laughed a little. "That sounds awesome. How's seven?"

"Seven is great," Rachel replied, shivering a bit in the cold air in the shower.

"Okay, then I will see you at seven," Riley said, adding quickly, "It's really okay, Rach. I can hear you feeling guilty. Don't beat yourself up."

_Then stop being so sweet about it!_ Rachel tried to smile. "Okay…I'll see you later, Riley."

When they hung up, Rachel placed her phone on the vanity by the sink, and turned the water back on to finish her shower. She stood under the showerhead, letting the water fall down her back and over her face as she tried not to feel worse than she did.

* * *

"All right, favorite Girl Scout cookie?" Rachel asked, pushing her fork into some more ziti.

"Thn monts, obiously," Riley said, his mouth full. Rachel smiled.

"Oh, _thin mints_, obviously." She rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Favorite time of day?" he asked more clearly this time.

"Probably…mid-morning."

"Random."

"This whole game is random, Riley," Rachel retorted. "It's the time of day when I'm most awake."

"Fair enough," Riley said, smiling a little, "but my game is _not_ random," he muttered after, digging into his chicken parmesan a little more.

Rachel giggled at him at shifted her weight on her end of the couch.

"I'm beyond full." She sighed loudly and put her container of pasta on the coffee table. She sat back against the couch and sighed again, smiling contentedly.

Riley put his food down on the coffee table beside hers and glanced at her, smiling as well. "Dessert?"

"I can't. I have to cut that out before my audition," Rachel replied, shaking her head.

"When is it?"

"Monday afternoon."

"Are you nervous?" he asked, frowning a little.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "I am if I really think about it. I can't imagine being more prepared than I already am."

"You're gonna be awesome, Rach," Riley said, and looked at her softly. He opened his mouth to continue, when all of a sudden Rachel's phone vibrated.

She reached into her pocket and looked at the screen.  
_Nathan_.

"Who is it?" Riley asked, and Rachel silenced her phone.

"Nobody. I can call them back later," she replied shortly, feeling herself blush.

"Okay…" he said, standing up from the couch. He picked up the food containers and brought them to the kitchen. Rachel sighed and leaned back on the couch, rubbing the sides of her head with her hands. She didn't want to lie to Riley, but she couldn't bring herself to answer the phone and talk to Nathan, since he was the reason she had cancelled dinner with Riley the other night.

Just as she was trying to forget that he called, her phone vibrated again – with Nathan's name on the screen one more time.  
"Maybe you should get it," Riley said, walking back to the living room.  
"You don't mind?" she said, standing up and facing him.

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders a little. "Nope. Cool with me."

"I'll be right back, I promise!" she said, running to the bathroom. When she closed the door behind her, she finally answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, love," came Nathan's silky voice through the phone.

"Hi," she said, sitting down on the floor beneath the sink.

"What are you up to tonight?"

"Um," she gulped, "not much. I'm out right now."

"Oh, we should meet up."

"I…I would love to, but I'm, um…pretty busy, and this weekend is all wedding stuff for my parents –"

"Ah, right." He paused. "I miss you, Rachel. I've been thinking about you and that dress you were wearing the other night…"

"Oh?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter, even though she could feel herself blushing again.

Nathan chuckled deeply. "But I know you're busy, so I will let you go."

"Okay," Rachel said, smiling a little to herself. "Have a great night, Nathan."

"You, too, love," he said, hanging up on her.

Still smiling, Rachel put her phone back in her pocket and stood up, leaving the bathroom.

"Everything okay?" Riley asked, already having started the movie.

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine." Rachel replied. She smiled at him and plopped down on the couch next to him. Through the first opening lines of the movie, she moved the pillows around behind her to get comfortable. Riley looked tense, not moving his eyes from the television.

To lighten the mood a little bit, Rachel spoke up. "I started reading your book, you know." He turned his head sharply and looked at her, eyes wide.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Rachel nodded. "It's good so far. I like it."

He smiled slightly. "I guess you and Ben really aren't that much alike."

Rachel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It took him months to even take it out of its packaging. I don't even know if he started reading it yet. I'd like to think he has, but-" He stopped when he saw Rachel's frown still hadn't lightened.

"Aw, Rach, I'm…I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to get you upset or anything."

"No, no…it's okay. I understand what it's like to be disappointed by Ben." She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm herself, feeling her quickening pulse. Riley could see her hands shaking.

"Rach. Rachel, look at me." He turned his whole body to face her, and put one of his hands on her arm. She put her hands in her lap and looked into his eyes.

"I don't know if you…if you feel like it, but I'm right here if you, you know, want to talk about it."

She smiled, leaning forward and hugging her friend. "Thank you, Riley." He wrapped his arms around her in return. "But isn't Ben your best friend? I don't want to talk to you about it if it's going to ruin-"

He pulled away from her, holding her at an arms length with his hands on her shoulders. Shaking his head, he said, "He is, but you've got dibs."

Rachel laughed a little. "Why, 'cause you've known me longer?"

He smiled and glanced away for a moment, dropping his hands from her shoulders. "Well yeah, and you're, you know… I care about you."

Tilting her head to the side, she replied, "Me too, Riley. But that doesn't mean I want to mess up your friendship with my brother."

"You're not gonna mess it up, I promise."

Rachel sighed. "All right… But I think we're going to have to put the movie on pause."

"Oops…" Riley muttered, reaching for the remote and pressing the pause button. "I'd almost forgotten about it."

"Even Megan Fox?" Rachel teased, raising her eyebrows.

"I could never forget Megan Fox," he replied seriously. Rachel playfully whacked him in the head with the pillow that was behind her.

"Ow! What was that for?" he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender.

Rachel laughed. "For being ridiculous." She put the pillow behind her once again and took a deep breath. "I know I never talked to you about this, but you have to understand that it happened right after high school, right before I knew you. I never told anyone about it, not even Tracey, until just a little while ago."

"So…what happened?" Riley asked, re-settling himself on the couch.

* * *

"Gates, party of five?" Rachel asked the host at the podium.

He nodded. "Right this way." Rachel threw a bit of her hair over her shoulder and cleared her throat, following the host through the front of the restaurant and around the corner to a function room. Her mother was the first one to notice her.

"Oh, sweetheart, you look beautiful!" Emily exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and running over to her daughter, kissing her on the cheek.

Rachel smiled and opened her mouth to speak— "May I get you something to drink?" The waitress behind her asked.

"Oh, a glass of white wine, please," she replied, finding her seat at the table between Patrick and Abigail.

"So how was your day?" Emily continued.

"Good. I had my last class before my audition next week." Rachel glanced at Ben a little as she said that. He didn't flinch.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Abigail said. "Is that where you were going when I called? I'm so sorry if I distracted you."

Rachel shook her head. "No, no, it was fine."

"What is the audition going to be like?"

"Well, first it's a group thing – they give you a number, you pin it on, whatever. They write down who they want to keep and see perform individually, which means that even after all this time of working on a solo audition, you might not even get to do it – not if they don't like what they see in the group audition. You've got to stand out enough to show them your solo, something you've been working on for months and months."

"That sounds challenging. When is it?" Abigail asked, smiling.

"It's on Monday. Only a couple of days after this wedding," Rachel replied. "At least this weekend I'll have plenty of distractions to keep my mind off of my nerves."

"I'm sure you'll be great, sweetheart," Emily said enthusiastically.

Ben smiled a little, catching her eye. She smiled a little in return and picked up her wine glass, taking a small sip.

Ben cleared his throat and he stood up, holding his own glass. "Well, before dinner begins, I want to say a few words." Abigail squeezed his hand a bit and picked up her own glass.

"Here's to Mom and Dad – two people who needed a dangerous, life-threatening adventure to realize that the best dangerous and possibly life-threatening adventure –" at this, they all laughed a bit – "that they would ever want to be a part of ever again – was the love that they found was still between them after all these years. And it's seeing that kind of love, that gives me the confidence that through everything we've been through, our family can be a family once again."

Emily and Patrick smiled at each other and Patrick gave her a gentle kiss. A pit grew in Rachel's stomach on hearing that last part of his toast, knowing that it must have been at least partially directed towards her.

"So here's to Mom and Dad, and to new beginnings."

"To new beginnings!" they chorused. Rachel clinked glasses with her parents and Abigail, and reluctantly with Ben, who smiled at her again. She returned it, trying to shake away the pit in her stomach. If Ben wanted to start over with her, he would have to try harder than that.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun! What'd ya think? Review if you'd like, but please don't be mean about how long this has taken me to update... (cowering) please? :)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Next chapter is here! Not sure if I really like it... it seems a little rushed to me, but I just wanted to get through some of it in order to move on to some more ideas I have. But I hope you like it! There's some Riley/Rachel fluff for ya!  
Also, I don't know a lot about dance auditions, so I tried, but if there's something wrong or if it seems too unbelievable don't get too angry!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially not any of the songs mentioned in this chapter. Just Rachel and other original characters.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, if everyone could clear the dance floor, Emily and Patrick are going to share their first dance as bride and groom," said Rachel into the microphone on the stage. Some people applauded softly as her mother and father walked onto the now empty dance floor together. Rachel nodded at the band, which started the first, few bars of "The Way You Look Tonight".

"Someday when I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel aglow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight / yes you're lovely with your smile so warm and your cheeks so soft, there is nothing for me but to love you and the way you look tonight."

While she sang, Rachel couldn't help but smile as she watched her parents. Neither one of them had stopped smiling since the end of the ceremony. Her eyes wandered across the group of attendees, mostly friends of her parents, but also a few friends of the family, such as Special Agent Sadusky, who had strategically placed a couple of FBI agents undercover around the party. Rachel was not exactly sure why he felt the need for the extra security, but figured it had to do with preventing paparazzi from ruining the wedding and reception.

"Oh lovely, never ever change, keep that breathless charm, won't you please arrange it, 'cause I love you just the way you look tonight"

At the last few measures, she caught her brother's eye, as he and a few other couples joined Emily and Patrick on the dance floor. He smiled softly at her before turning his attention to Abigail, who looked beautiful in her dark blue dress. Rachel returned the smile and turned her gaze back to the crowd. As she concluded the song, the group on the dance floor turned to her and applauded.

"Thank you," she said graciously, stepping aside from the microphone for the singer from the band. Walking down the stairs onto the floor, she came face to face with her brother, who offered his hand as she descended.

"That was wonderful, Rachel," Ben said sincerely. "I didn't know you could sing so well."

Smiling, she nodded a little and took his hand. "Thanks."

"And you…you look nice, too," he added quickly, his smile faltering a bit.

_Overcompensation, Party of one_. "Thanks, Ben. You, too," Rachel said, smiling to ease some of the tension between them, now evenly on the floor with him.

"When did you learn to sing?" he asked, clearly trying to talk to her more.

"I didn't really…I don't know, it was just something I did with being in an Arts program at college – other friends I had in school that were studying in the other performing arts departments." She saw his expression change a bit when she mentioned college – the first few years she had hid from him the summer after high school.

Before he could ask another question, Abigail appeared around Ben's side. "Rachel, that was so beautiful!" she said.

"Thank you!" Rachel said, smiling kindly. "You look beautiful, Abigail. I love your dress."

"Thank you – you look amazing, too," the blonde said sincerely. "Fuchsia is a beautiful color on you." Sensing Ben's discomfort, Abigail changed the subject. "What a great reception – and a wonderful ceremony. I can only hope ours runs this smoothly."

"It'll be great, honey," said Ben, kissing her on the cheek. Rachel smiled at the couple and glanced at the bar.

"I think I'm going to grab a drink. Excuse me, please," she said politely, walking across the dance floor and to the other side of the room to the bar.

"Cranberry and vodka, please," she said to the bartender through a smile. As he started to work on her drink, Rachel let out a deep sigh.

"Hey stranger," said a voice behind her.

Turning, she locked eyes with Riley, who was dressed sharply in a dark blue suit beneath which he wore a white dress shirt with a silver and blue striped tie.

"Hi," she said happily. The bartender put her drink down in front of her, and she thanked him as she picked it up.

"Hey, cheers to you and your many talents, Miss I-never-told-anyone-I-could-sing-like-that," he joked, clinking his beer glass against hers. They both took a sip of their own drinks and Rachel shook her head.

"It's no big deal. I'm not that good," she said, waving her hand.

"Well, I thought it was beautiful," he pressed lightly, smiling brightly.

"Thanks, Riley," she replied softly. She took another sip of her drink and heard the band's singer start the first few lyrics of "The Very Thought of You".

"Oh, I love this song," she remarked softly.

Riley turned to her and glanced at the dance floor and then at his beer. Putting his drink on the bar, he turned back to Rachel and held out his hand. "Then let's go dance."

"What?" she asked, knowing perfectly well what he'd said but not believing what she had heard.

"Dance with me, Rach," he repeated.

"Since when do you dance?" she asked incredulously.

"Since when do you sing?" he asked, mocking her.

She relented, smiling at him and taking his hand. He placed his other hand on the small of her back and led her out to the dance floor. When they found a good spot, he put one hand on her waist, taking her other hand in his own. As he started to slowly move, she put her hand on his shoulder, her smile growing. Riley led her in a slow circle around their area of the floor, not losing his smile for any second.

"You look beautiful tonight, Rachel," he said softly. Rachel could feel her cheeks flush.

"Thank you," she replied equally as quietly. "You too."

"Beautiful? Hm…I would say debonair, suave, maybe even _dashingly handsome_, but I don't know about beautiful," he joked.

"You know what I mean, jerk," she said, laughing, making Riley laugh along with her. As their laughter died down, she could feel him pull her closer to him. Her high heels made them just about the same height, and it was everything she could do to think about anything but the fact of how close their faces were…and a strange desire to think about how soft his lips looked.

To her own mercy, she almost sighed thankfully as the song came to a close. Riley didn't let her go right away, smiling at her and finally dropping his hand from her back.

After applauding the band's rendition of the song, she turned to Riley and said, "I'm going to go say hi to my parents, but I should get my drink-"

"No, no, I'll get it, you go talk to them," he said, smiling at her once more before walking back to the bar.

Rachel didn't have to look hard for her parents – Emily and Patrick were also enjoying the music and walked over to her at the edge of the dance floor at the conclusion of the last song.

"Hello, sweetheart," Emily said, hugging her daughter and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, kid," said Patrick, also giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for that song earlier."

"You're welcome," she replied.

"That was a nice moment with Riley," Emily said, almost posing it as a question.

Rachel flushed a little. "We're just friends, Mom. I'm seeing someone else."

"You are?" Emily asked excitedly. "How long have you been seeing him? What's his name? Where did you meet?"

"Em, breathe," Patrick said, laughing a little at his wife's enthusiasm.  
Before she could answer any of those questions, Riley walked over with her drink. Rachel thanked him and took a long sip to ignore her mother's wonderings.

"Hey, Patrick and Emily," he said politely. "It's been a great wedding. Thank you again for inviting me."

"Oh, don't be silly, Riley. You're practically family," said Emily kindly.

All of a sudden, Ben walked over to the three of them.

"Hi, Ben," Emily said, quickly forgetting Rachel's interrogation.

He smiled at the three of them. "The photographer wants a quick picture of the four of us, if that's okay," he said. Trailing behind him was a man grasping a professional camera.

"If we could have the bride and groom standing together, and then Mr. Gates, if you and your sister can stand together," he directed, motioning with his hands. Patrick encircled Emily's waist with his arm and the two stood posed for the picture.

Ben smiled at Rachel, who glanced at her parents to figure out where to stand and then at her drink, wondering where to put it for the picture.

"I'll take it, Rach," said Riley, who took the drink from her and stood behind the photographer. She smiled in thanks at him and then found her place next to Ben, who put his arm around her. Strangely, Rachel felt herself at complete comfort with her family. For the first time in longer than she could remember, a positive thought crossed her mind: Maybe everything could work out between her and Ben.

"Now everyone smile and say 'Gates'!" said the photographer happily.

"Gates!" they chorused.

* * *

"12, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22, 26, 27, 30, 33, 43, and 47, please!" called out one of the directors.

Rachel inhaled slowly through her nose, exhaling through her mouth to calm herself before taking the stage with the other auditioning dancers. She smoothed the number 30 on the front of her leotard as she walked, picking a spot in the front of the group, confident in her moves.

"Cue music!" the director called to the sound booth.

As the song started, Rachel could feel her heart racing. The moves and their rhythms flowed like she had practiced, as if they were a part of her. She could hear little cheers and encouraging words from the small group of supporting friends and family who were in the audience. She had purposely not told any of her friends or family what time her audition was because she knew she would be nervous enough without knowing they would watch her.

Pouring every ounce of her strength into the routine, Rachel was shocked at how soon they were at the end of the routine as the song hit its last chorus. She gave a quick smile to the judging directors and finished the piece strongly, hitting her final pose. The small audience applauded and cheered for their dancers. Rachel smiled again and relaxed from her pose.

"Thank you all," one director said shortly. She and the others on the stage watched as they deliberated about their favorites from the group. She put her hands on her hips and tried to calm her heavy breathing. She knew the worst part would be waiting to hear if she could do her solo piece, but she didn't know that it would make her this anxious.

"Again, thank you all for coming today. The following dancers are those we would like to see individually – Numbers 12, 14, 26, 27, and 30," the male director ordered. Rachel's heart sped up once more as she heard her number called. "The five of you have a short break before your solos – grab a quick drink of water, stretch, whatever you need to do – and we'll start with Number 26 in five minutes."

Rachel smiled brightly, quickly walking off offstage to her bag.

"Congrats, Rachel," said a dancer from her studio.

"Thanks, AJ – you too!" she said excitedly, finding her bottle of water and twisting it open.

He smiled, turning away from her and stretching one his legs out in front of him.

After a quick drink of water, she reached for her phone. She furrowed her brow when she saw she had a new text message from Nathan.

'You look great up there, love'

Her heart caught in her throat. She had no idea he had been here to watch her – how had he known when her audition was? She was flattered he had come to surprise her, and tried hard to suppress the butterflies in her stomach. Suddenly, she heard the director call out for Number 26, and she smiled as AJ hurried past her onto the stage for his solo audition. She turned her phone off and put it back in her bag,

Meanwhile in the audience, Riley shifted in his seat, putting the bouquet of flowers he had bought for Rachel in the seat beside his, sighing heavily. He was nervous, and he wasn't even auditioning. A young woman two rows in front of him was hugging two people with her, and Riley could see she was crying as they left the theater. He winced a little, praying that Rachel would do well on this next part of her audition. She had made it this far, and he had every confidence that she would make it through. He took his phone out of his coat pocket and decided to text her quickly: 'You've got this, Rachel! You're doing great! '

The male dancer currently on stage was doing a mixture of some kind of slow motion break-dancing – or at least that's what it looked like to Riley. When the song ended, the director said little other than, "Thank you," letting the male dancer bow slightly before retreating offstage.

"Number 12, please!" the director called.

Riley sighed again. He knew Rachel must have been so nervous, waiting backstage for her number to be called.

Suddenly, he noticed a man stand up from a few rows in front of him, walking out of the theater speaking privately on his cell phone. He was tall, dressed in a blazer with a dress shirt and jeans, with familiar shaggy blonde hair. Riley frowned and shook his head, thinking nothing of it.

Before she knew it, Rachel heard her number called. "Number 30, please!" called a female director.

Rachel hurried out onto the stage and molded herself into her opening pose. "Cue music," she said loudly. The opening of "Lost" by KT Tunstall played softly over the speakers, growing in volume as Rachel started to move. She knew she had chosen a particularly difficult song because of its fluid rhythm, but she hoped to impress the directors with the challenge she had brought upon herself. She felt more than strangers' eyes on her, knowing the familiar stare that made her skin feel warm was from Nathan.

As she moved across the stage, Rachel knew she could never feel more confident than she did at this moment. Her hard work had to show for something. At the conclusion of her piece, she stayed in her final pose listening to the applause and cheers from the audience. She relaxed and saw that even one of the directors was smiling and applauding quite enthusiastically.

When the applause died down, one of the male directors asked her, "What's your name, Number 30?"

"Rachel Gates," she replied, breathing heavily and trying to calm herself.

"Well Rachel, that was a pretty challenging routine to choose," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yes," she said, agreeing. She kicked herself inwardly. _He didn't like it_, she thought. _It was too much. _

"I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing you take on more challenges as a member of the company, Rachel," he continued.

Rachel's mouth hung open for a moment. "I – I –" she stammered, "Thank you!"

He smiled slightly. "You'll be hearing from us soon."

She could hear more applause from the audience, and she hurried off the stage, feeling like she was beyond Cloud Nine. She grabbed her bag from backstage and ran out of the side door, down the stairs, and to the hallway leading to the audience, where she let out a little squeal of joy.

Riley had jumped out of his seat when he heard the director say the big possibility of Rachel being a new member of the dance company. He was now standing by one of the doors, not knowing from where she would come from backstage, but knowing that she would come into the audience since she would have gotten her text that he was there. He was so excited for her.

Suddenly, he saw one of the theater doors open, and Rachel came flying in, looking as if she was searching for him. He saw her face light up when she looked in his direction, and he smiled, starting to walk over to her. But at the next moment, the tall blonde man from earlier crossed the aisle in front of him and hurried over to her holding a bouquet of roses with his arms open.

"You were amazing, love!" he exclaimed as she embraced him. He lifted her off the floor and she laughed. Riley frowned, watching her surprised and happy reaction to the roses. Maybe it was another dancer from her studio who had come to watch her perform…?

That thought was quickly squashed when he saw her kiss him happily, and he could feel his heart stop for a moment.

"Thank you so much, Nathan," he heard her say. They kissed again, and when they broke apart, Riley saw the man bend over to pick up her bags.

As if he could feel Riley watching them, the man turned around and glanced at him, and in that split second, Riley felt his stomach drop.

_Ian_.

* * *

A/N: Dun, Dun, Dun! Raise your hand if you saw that coming? Review if you'd like!


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